Schreiner baseball splits doubleheader against Southwestern on Friday

The Schreiner University baseball team split a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Southwestern University on Friday at Bob Henry Field, rallying for a dramatic 7-6 victory in the opener before falling 19-5 in the nightcap.

The Mountaineers (10-24, 8-18 SCAC) snapped a brief two-game winning streak with the game two loss, while Southwestern (12-23, 10-16 SCAC) solidified its position ahead of Schreiner in the conference standings.

In the opening game, junior JD Blair delivered the game-winning hit with a run-scoring triple in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Ethan Costello for the 7-6 victory. The clutch hit capped a comeback after Southwestern had tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the eighth.

Grant Beaver (3-1) earned the win in relief, pitching four innings while allowing just two runs on four hits. Senior Fito Mendez started for Schreiner, working five innings and surrendering four runs (three earned) on nine hits.

The Mountaineers’ offense produced 13 hits in the opener, with Blair leading the way by going 4-for-4 with two RBIs. Kale Lackey added three hits, including a triple, and drove in two runs, while Costello contributed three hits and scored twice.

Southwestern seized control early in the second game, scoring 11 runs in the first five innings before exploding for eight more in the seventh. Jordan Coronado paced the Pirates’ offense with four hits and three RBIs, part of a 22-hit attack against six Schreiner pitchers.

Max Sauceda (3-5) took the loss for Schreiner, allowing six runs on nine hits in 2⅔ innings. Stephen Rutherford (3-4) earned the complete-game victory for Southwestern, scattering nine hits over seven innings.

Lackey led Schreiner’s offense in the second game with two hits and an RBI, while Costello added two hits and scored once.

The Mountaineers and Pirates conclude their three-game series on Saturday with a single game scheduled for 12 p.m.