TYLER (February 21, 2009) - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team could not generate enough offense to overcome early deficits in both games and the Cru dropped both ends of a doubleheader to U.T.-Tyler Saturday afternoon in Tyler. The losses drop UMHB to 4-6 on the season. The Patriots improve to 8-1 on the year with the two victories.

U.T.-Tyler scored six runs in the first two innings and never looked back in a 7-1 game one victory. Jared Hood and Brock Lemire doubled home runs to highlight a four-run first inning. Hood added a solo home run in a two-run second inning and he hit another solo shot in the fourth to make it 7-0. The Cru’s lone run came on Josh Fredrick’s RBI single in the top of the sixth inning. Hunter Hawkins (0-1) took the loss for UMHB after giving up six runs on seven hits in one and a third innings. Brett Holland (2-1) went the distance for U.T.-Tyler, scattering six hits and striking out seven. Joseph Villegas had two of UMHB’s six hits. Hood, Jeremy Harding and Chad Daleiden had three hits apiece for the Patriots.

UMHB fell behind 6-0 in the first three innings of game two on the way to a 9-4 loss. Hood hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Daleiden homered to lead off the bottom of the second and Joe Towns hit a two-run shot in the third as the Patriots jumped out to the quick lead. UMHB cut it to 6-1 on Alfredo Melendez’s RBI single in the top of the fifth, but the Patriots scored three more in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by Daleiden’s two-run homer. The Cru would score three in the top of the eighth as Derek Draeger blasted a two-run homer and Fredrick added an RBI double, but that would be as close as UMHB would get. Jared Hopper took the loss for UMHB to fall to 0-1 on the season. Blake Booher earned the win for UTT to improve to 3-0. Draeger had two of UMHB’s seven hits in the game.

The Cru will now return home to host LeTourneau University for a three-game series at Red Murff Field next weekend. UMHB will take on the Yellow Jackets in a 2:00 single-game on Friday and the two teams will close out the series with a 12:00 PM doubleheader on Saturday.