CONWAY, Ark. - After a 10-day, eight-game road trip the Hendrix College baseball team celebrated their return to Conway with an 8-2 win over in-state rival The University of the Ozarks on Tuesday evening.

Brian Commerford tossed a career-high 6.0 innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits for his first win of the season. Brian Epstein, Grant Nunn, and Thomas Weber combined to throw three scoreless innings of relief to close out the Eagles.

Weber, Ryan Ritz, and Spencer Summers each recorded three hits. Summers finished with two doubles, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base while Weber finished with a pair of RBI and a run scored. 

Hendrix fell behind in the second inning when Ozarks plated a pair on a single by Keaton Ramsey. The Warriors responded in the third with three runs of their own to take the lead. Ritz began the rally with a bunt single followed by a Judson double down the left field line. Weber brought in Ritz with a single and he and Judson came home on a two-out double from Summers, making it 3-2.

The Warriors added two runs each in the fourth and sixth innings to extend their lead to 7-2. In the fourth, Judson earned an RBI on a fielder's choice, while Weber ripped another RBI single to left. The sixth-inning rally was keyed by Summers' second double of the day. The big hit brought home Matt Simmons, and Summers came home two batters later on an RBI single from Seth Mobley. 

In the eighth, the Warriors padded their lead with another run and Weber shut down the Eagles' bats in the ninth to close down the game for an 8-2 win.

Hendrix Notes
- Commerford pitched a career-high 6.0 innings in his first start of the season. He improved to 1-0 on the year, 4-1 in his career.
- Ritz and Weber each earned their third three-hit game of the season while Summers recorded his first.
- Summers' three RBI ties for the season high by a Warrior. It marked the fifht three-RBI game for a Warrior this year (Wyatt Hogan, Jake Wiegand, Simmons (twice))
- Ozarks is the Warriors' most common in-state opponent. The two teams have played 63 times since 1915, with Hendrix boasting 26 wins in the series, including three of the last four meetings.

Ozarks Notes
- Keaton Ramsey went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI while Zach Walker went 3-for-4 on the night.
- Hayden Keller took the loss allowing three earned runs in three innings. Six different Eagles' pitchers were used in the game.
- Ozarks is 1-6 in their last seven games played at Warrior Field, dating back to 2012.

Up Next
Hendrix resumes conference play on Friday evening at 6 p.m. when they begin a three-game series with Southern Athletic Association rival Rhodes College.