Matt Sparks earned his second win of the season on Sunday afternoon against Hardin-Simmons. Sparks pitched six innings, allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out three. Photo by Jessica Sibbing.
The University’s baseball team bounced back from a 22-5 loss on Saturday against Hardin-Simmons and defeated the Cowboys 8-3 on Sunday afternoon to close out the three game weekend series.
The Patriots won 5-1 in the first game of Saturday’s double-header.
Corey Henderson put the Patriots on the board first in game one Saturday. His single drove in Justin Juneau, who doubled to lead off the inning.
The Cowboys answered in the top of the third. Blake Sieck singled to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Dotson. He later scored on a single by Brian Weeks.
The Patriots put the game away in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on three hits. Aaron McCain singled on a bunt to start things off. Keenan Duke followed with a walk, and Austin Newell singled to load the bases.
In the game versus Hardin-Simmons Cowboys, Patriot Keenan Duke foul tips the ball during his turn at bat. Duke batted 1-4 and scored a run Sunday. Photo by Jessica Sibbing.
Patriot starter Chase Willard closed out the sixth and seventh and earned his third win of the season, allowing one run on seven hits. He also struck out seven. The Cowboys took over game two of the double from the beginning, scoring nine runs in the top of the first inning on one out.
Hardin-Simmons loaded the bases with one out.
Courtney Harris singled to bring in the first run. An error scored two and a single by Sieck plated two runs. The next four runs all scored on singles by Dotson, Weeks, LeJuan Edwards and Taylor Berlin.
Skeen hit a two out solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second for the Patriots’ first run. The Cowboys answered with two runs in the top of the third and fifth inning, and three runs in the sixth. Andrew Rehling, Jay Hiller, Sieck, Berlin and Harris picked up RBI’s in those innings.
Jones hit a two run home run in fifth that brought home Newell, who singled in a run earlier in the inning. The Patriots scored their final run in the sixth.
Hardin-Simmons scored five more runs in the eighth and one in the ninth.
Berlin finished the game with four RBI’s and three runs scored for the Cowboys. Harris finished batting 3-6 with three RBI’s and five runs scored.
Sharp took the loss for the Patriots, his first of the season. Sam Walker earned the win, pitching 5.2 innings.
Duke singled and scored in the bottom of the first to put the Patriots up 1-0 early. Skeen recorded the RBI on a single to left field. Hardin-Simmons took the lead in the third. Dotson led off with a single and scored on a single by Edwards. Edwards later scored on a hit by Harris.
Skeen tied the ballgame in the bottom of the inning on single that plated Jones, only to see the lead go back to the Cowboys in the fifth on a wild pitch.
The Patriots took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth. Skeen drove in Newell for his third RBI of the game, and later scored on an error.
The Patriots added their final three runs in the eighth on one hit. McCain, Juneau and TJ Martin all scored unearned runs. Matt Sparks earned his second win of the season, pitching six innings and striking out three.
Kyle D’Alessio took the loss for Hardin-Simmons. “It’s huge for us to come out and win a series,” head coach James Vilade said.
“We just need to keep guys off the bases … my hat is off to the defense, our guys defended well.”
The Patriots are scheduled to play their next eight games on the road, starting with The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson on March 2, and will return home March 16 to face Hendrix.
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