GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - Pirates baseball was eager to hit the field on Tuesday to face the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders. For one, the Pirates hadn't played a game in over a week due to their series with Austin College being postponed, and two, Southwestern aimed to avenge their loss to UMHB, which was the last game they played a week earlier. 

The Pirates kicked off the game with three runs in the first inning, and it appeared Southwestern would pick back up on their hot hitting. However, three runs would be all the Pirates could manage for the next four innings.

UMHB took two innings before knocking in three runs in the top of the third to tie the game at 3-3. The Crusaders would score another run in the top of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. The Cru infield did a fantastic job of handling the Southwestern hitting squad and was steady all night, leaving the game with no errors. 

Southwestern scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 4-4. A single by Tres Organ brought in Trent Raschke after Raschke got on from his single to right center field. Both teams would then go scoreless for the next two innings until the Cru offense exploded for four runs in the top of the ninth, giving an 8-4 lead for UMHB headed into the final frame. 

Give credit to the Pirates, Southwestern made a run in the bottom of the ninth, attempting to replicate their miracle win against DePauw earlier in the season. Southwestern scored two runs to bring the score to 8-6, but their rally was cut short, and the Crusaders walked away from Rockwell Field, going 2-0 on the season against Southwestern. 

Pirate Baseball returns to conference play in what should be a stellar matchup against the Trinity University Tigers on Friday, April 14th, at 7:00 PM. Trinity is ranked #23 in the country, while Southwestern is ranked #24, according to D3Baseball.com/NCBWA. To view the full rankings, click here