BELTON, Texas — Missed opportunities cost the Southwestern University Pirates baseball team in a 7-4 road loss to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders.
The Pirates had more hits (8-6), walks (8-5), and fewer errors (2-1) but failed to capitalize, leaving 12 stranded on base over the course of nine innings.
Southwestern first year Hutch Hornfischer (0-1) got his first collegiate career start, throwing two innings and giving up four hits, two walks, and five earned runs.
Mary Hardin-Baylor plated runs in each of the first three innings, punctuated by a three-run bottom of the second in which Sam Camilleri hit a RBI-single down the left-field line, Landon Dieterich scored on a wild pitch, and Sal Camilleri stole home with runners on the corners in a double steal.
Southwestern picked up a RBI-single through the right side from Henry Fisher, scoring Seth Sparks in the second; and a Byron Dowdell ground out to shortstop with runners on second and third, scoring Daniel Montgomery Jr. in the top of the third, leaving the Pirates trailing 5-2 after three.
The Crusaders added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off relief pitcher Ruben Garcia on a two-RBI double down the right-field line from Camilleri.
Lance Kruse hit a two-RBI double down the right-field line in the seventh inning, scoring Preston Witt and Montgomery for the Pirates' final runs of the game.
Southwestern put runners on second and third with one out in the eighth inning but hit two consecutive pop outs to second base to leave Fisher and Chase Thinger stranded.
Witt reached on a walk and Sparks hit a single up the middle with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate but Crusaders' relief pitcher Trevor Ripke came up with his third strikeout of the inning to pick up the save.
Sparks and Fisher each picked up two hits for the Pirates with Sparks scoring a run and Fisher getting a RBI. Montgomery scored twice for the Pirates, reaching on a hit and a walk.
With the loss, the Pirates drop to 2-2 on the season. Southwestern will have its annual alumni exhibition game on Saturday, Feb. 22 before traveling to play Concordia Texas on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6:00 p.m.
For more SU Pirate photos, please see Carlos Barron Photography