Box Score As they have done all year, Southwestern pieced together an impressive comeback with four runs in the final four innings, but came up short with a 12-4 loss to UMHB in Belton Wednesday.
The Crusaders took the lead with a leadoff homerun in the first inning by Stark. Starting pitcher Clayton Haag settled in until UMHB posted a massive third inning with eight runs on two hits with two errors to push their lead to 9-0.
Southwestern got one run back in response as Robert Wehman scored on a balk. The Pirates added one in the sixth and two in the seventh to cut into UMHB's lead, 9-4. Clayton Sparks' sacrifice fly drove home Wayland and Will Cates followed with a single to plate Colten Shea and Ryan Jackson.
In the bottom of the eighth, UMHB got all of those runs back, scoring three on another Stark homer to extend their lead to eight, 12-4.
Both teams had eight hits while Southwestern committed two errors and UMHB one. Colten Shea led the way going 3-4 from the plate with a double and two stolen bases. Cates was 2-5 with 2 RBIs and one stolen base. UMHB was led by KJ Stark who was 2-3 with two homeruns and four RBIs.
Haag suffered the loss in two innings of work, allowing eight runs, five earned, on three hits while walking three and striking out three.
Southwestern falls to 5-7 on the year after the loss. They next head to Arizona for a four game run in Tucson beginning on Sunday 2:30 CST against Cal Lutheran.
