MARSHALL, Texas – Hardin-Simmons’ baseball team advanced with a 3-2 win over Sul Ross State on a walkoff single by Luke Kirkbride at the American Southwest Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Marshall.
The game was tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth and Jett Forrest and Sam Buchkowski had back-to-back singles to lead off the innings. A sacrifice bunt moved them to second and third and after a strikeout, Kirkbride delivered with an RBI single in the left field corner to give the Cowboys the win.
Gannon Azios had given the Cowboys a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run to left center. Karson Leatherwood made the score 2-0 in the fourth inning with an RBI single.
The Lobos took advantage of two Cowboy errors in the fifth inning to play a part in both runs to tie the game at 2-2.
Caidon Livingston was sharp for the Cowboys and he worked out of the jam in the fifth to strand two more runners. The Lobos threatened again in the sixth inning and he induced a double play to end the inning.
Livingston recorded an out in the eighth inning and then left after back-to-back singles by the Lobos. Jaydon Stephens came on and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but he got a pop up and a ground out to get the Cowboys out of the inning unscathed.
Stephens hit a batter and walked a batter in the ninth but was able to wiggle out of the jam to set up the ninth-inning heroics for the Cowboys.
Livingston went seven and one-third innings and allowed just one earned run while scattering nine hits. Stephens worked the final one and two-third innings to earn the win and improve to 1-1 on the year.
Chris Ibanez started and went four innings allowing just one earned run for the Lobos and Cade Watson worked the final four and two-third innings and took the loss allowing one run on six hits.
Kirkbride, Leatherwood, Buchkowski and Jeremy Colon had two hits each for the Cowboys and Estevan Ortiz led the Lobos with two hits.
HSU is now 20-21 on the year and will play East Texas Baptist at 2 p.m. on Friday. Sul Ross State fell to 17-21 on the year.
