The Howard Payne University baseball team split the double header on Saturday losing the first game 7-4, but came back in the second game with an offensive explosion winning 16-5 for their first American Southwest Conference victory of 2011.
The Jackets 16 runs was the most they had scored in over two years when they beat Schreiner University 24-12 on March 7, 2009.
In the first game, the Jackets fell behind when the Bulldogs strung together a two-out rally that scored four. In the forth inning a two-run home run from TLU’s Cody Miller, and RBI single from Jason McGill would add to that lead and take the game to 7-0 after four innings.
The Jackets would tack on three in the sixth inning, and add on one run in the seventh, but their effort would come too late.
Taylor Zambreski was three of four at the plate in Gm. 1 scoring one run and one RBI. Ryan Klose added to that with two hits, one run scored, and one RBI himself.
The Jackets starting pitcher Gilbert Barrera went 3.2 innings allowing nine hits, six runs, two earned, striking out three.
For the Bulldogs, Chris Lewis went for six innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, with nine strikeouts.
In the second game, great pitching by starter Billy Ray Cruz and outstanding batting fueled the way for the Jackets.
HPU scored two right off the bat in the first inning, but the Bulldogs would fight back and tie the game at two when they scored one in the second and one in the top of the forth.
From their the Jackets would score eight unanswered runs scoring five in the forth and three in the fifth to take a 10-2 heading into the sixth inning.
The forth got started after the TLU’s pitcher Chase Janecek threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded scoring Ben Butler. After that, San Dollahite would single scoring Butler. After that two more hits would score two more runs.
In the fifth, the TLU walked the first two HPU batters. After a fielders choice, Dollahite would come through big again hitting a triple scoring Dusitin Cole and Will Garlick. Later Ryan Abbott would single bringing home Dollahite.
Texas Lutheran grabbed two more more in the top of the sixth with RBI double and a sacrifice fly, but their effort was for not as the offense kept coming from the Jackets with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the seventh.
In the seventh inning senior Will Garlick hit his second career collegiate home run to left field scoring the final two runs of the day to tap the nails into the coffin for the win.
Cruz finished his day throwing seven innings allowing eight hits, four runs, three earned, with five strikeouts and only two walks.
The Jackets go to 5-13 overall and 1-5 in the ASC. The Bulldogs drop to 15-9 overall on the season and 5-1 in the ASC.
The next game for HPU is at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 25 against Sul Ross State at Don Shepard Park
