March 15th, 2009
(Photo of Brad Orosey by Tim Clark)
ABILENE, Texas -- The McMurry baseball team secured 3-2 and 3-1 victories Sunday over Texas Lutheran to claim a 2-1 American Southwest Conference series victory over the Bulldogs.
In the first game Sunday, at McMurry's Walt Driggers Field, Ryan Bennett hit a solo walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift McMurry to the 3-2 victory.
The first game, originally scheduled for seven innings, turned into the long game of the Sunday doubleheader once the game moved past the seventh inning. The second game, because of the length of game one, became the seven-inning contest.
TLU led 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh of game one. Kyle Harvey (Houston/Houston Christian) homered in the top of the seventh to give TLU the lead and put his team three outs from victory.
But McMurry scratched across a run in the seventh with help from a two-base throwing error by the Bulldogs.
The outcome of the first game spoiled another strong pitching performance from TLU freshman right-hander Brad Orosey (Houston/Cypress Creek), who took his first collegiate loss and fell to 4-1. Orosey struck out eight in 8-2/3 innings pitched. He did not walk a batter and allowed two earned runs.
In game two, McMurry jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held off the Bulldogs with strong pitching from starter Kyle Martin and reliever Chris Semchenko. Martin went 5-2/3 innings and allowed only four hits and one run. Semchenko silenced the Bulldogs over the final 1-1/3 innings. He did not allow a base runner.
Stephen Derrick hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give McMurry the early lead.
TLU continues ASC play next Friday and Saturday with road games at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas.
