March 21st, 2009
Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
(Photo of Jeremy Macklin by Ron Macklin)
BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs completed a three-game baseball series sweep of Howard Payne with 13-3 and 16-8 victories Saturday at HPU’s Don Shepard Park.
TLU moved to 25-2 all-time against Howard Payne with the three victories over Friday and Saturday. TLU captured an 8-7 win Friday at Shepard Park.
The Bulldogs overall record now stands 17-9 overall with a 6-3 mark in the American Southwest Conference West Division. Howard Payne dropped to 11-13 overall and to 4-5 in the ASC West.
In game one, TLU gave starter Brad Orosey (Houston/Cypress Creek) plenty of run support in the 13-3 victory. Orosey (5-1) did not allow an earned run, scattered nine hits and struck out six. He did not walk a batter.
TLU scored runs in every inning but the fourth inning. Chris Green (Austin/Bowie/Concordia Texas) led the hit parade for the Bulldogs. The sophomore shortstop was 3-for-3 with five RBI. He belted a two-run home run in the Bulldogs’ four-run third inning.
Jeremy Macklin (Austin/Bowie/Huston-Tillotson) drove in three runs with a two-run double and an RBI sacrifice fly. Cody Miller (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) recorded three hits, two runs and two runs scored.
Andrew Femath (El Paso/Montwood/Howard JC) and Ryan Nokelby (Santa Fe, Texas/Santa Fe) each had two hits for TLU. Femath scored twice and had a stolen base, and Nokelby scored a run and drove in a run. Nokelby also threw out a runner at third base from right field.
Will Hood (2-3) took the game-one loss for the Yellow Jackets. Hood left in the third inning after allowing seven earned runs.
In game two, the Bulldogs trailed 8-7 after Howard Payne scored four runs in the seventh inning. But the Bulldogs battled back with four runs in the eighth and five runs in the ninth off the Yellow Jackets' bullpen.
The top six batters in the TLU lineup accounted for 15 runs, 16 hits and 13 RBI. Left fielder Drew Farr (Taylor/Taylor) drove in four runs and added a double, and Nokelby contributed four hits, a double, a triple, and three RBI.
Center fielder Kyle Harvey (Houston/Houston Christian) scored four times, tripled, and stole a base, and Macklin tripled and tallied three hits, three RBI and two runs scored.
Femath went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, and Miller registered three hits, two runs and two RBI. Miller doubled twice.
TLU finished game two with 20 hits.
Tom Hembree (Burnet/Burnet) picked up the game-two win and moved to 1-0. Hembree was the fourth pitcher of the game for the Bulldogs. He followed starter Logan Hull (Victoria/Memorial), Jeremiah Steinert (Sugar Land/Dulles) and Patrick Pederson (Pearland/Pearland). Macklin pitched the ninth for TLU.
TLU’s next contest is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday against Trinity University at Trinity’s E.M. Stevens Field. The game will have live stats and live radio and internet broadcasts from Trinity. Seguin radio station KWED 1580 AM will have the live call and internet audio webcast at www.seguintoday.com.
The Bulldogs return to conference play next Friday and Saturday when they host Mary Hardin-Baylor at TLU’s Katt-Isbel Field.