Blackburn Baseball Starts Spring Break at Howard Payne

BROWNWOOD, TEXAS – The Blackburn College Baseball team opened their spring break trip by taking on Howard Payne University. 

The Beavers faced an early 4-0 deficit in the opener before senior C.J. Brunaugh scored on a sophomore Joshua Moreno single in the second inning. They then tied it in the third. Junior Brett Lander got things started with a walk then scored when R.J. Arredondo tripled. After an out, sophomore Dominic Medrano hit his first home run of the year and made it 4-4. 

However, the hosts responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. BC rallied back and re-took the lead in the top of the fifth. Medrano started the inning with a double. Sophomore Diego Perez was hit by a pitch and sophomore Omar Claudio walked to load the bases. Moreno and senior Ian Sullivan followed with singles to score Medrano and Perez, then junior Harley Carney walked which scored Claudio. The Beavers took the lead when Lander singled to score Medrano. 

HPU again answered by taking to take an 11-8 advantage but Blackburn followed up with five runs in the sixth. Perez and Claudio got on through errors and both scored through singles from Moreno and freshman Andrew Medina. Carney knocked Moreno in with a single and freshman Carter Hood came in to pinch run for Medina and scored when Lander hit into a fielder's choice. Lander made it 13-11 when he scored on an Arredondo single. 

Unfortunately, Howard Payne answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 14-13. 

The nightcap saw Blackburn score first when Lander crossed the plate in the fourth inning. Lander got on with a single, He then got to second thanks to a bunt from Carney. After an out, Lander scored off a Medina single to put the Beavers up 1-0. The hosts responded in a big way by scoring nine runs in the fourth to take a large lead. 

Moreno scored on a sacrifice fly by Medina in the fifth, narrowing the gap. Moreno helped add two more runs in the seventh as his single scored senior Frankie Ruiz and he scored on a Carney batted ball. 

Facing a 9-4 deficit, BC tied the game in the eighth inning. Junior Will Mason and Medrano got on with walks, then advanced to third and second via a wild pitch. Ruiz then singled to advance Medrano to third and allowed Mason to score. Moreno followed with another single to score Medrano. 

Carney, junior Pedro Medina and A. Medina all walked allowing Ruiz and Moreno to score and make it 9-8. After a pitching change, Mason walked for the second time of the inning, scoring Carney and tying the game at 9-9. 

Howard Payne was able to respond with two more runs in their eighth inning which proved the difference as the hosts captured the second game 11-9. 

Moreno would finish the day with five hits, five runs and four runs batted in. Lander added three hits, three runs and two RBI's. Carney posted three hits along with a run, three RBI's and was walked a total of four times. 

Blackburn returns to action Monday to take on Arlington Baptist University.