CONWAY, Ark. - The Hendrix College baseball team split a pair of mid-week games with in-state rival Williams Baptist College on Tuesday, falling 7-6 in game one before coming back with an 8-5 victory in game two.

Ryan Ritz went 3-for-4 on the day with three runs, a triple and a stolen base. Brady Newville batted 4-for-5 with three runs and an RBI while Thomas Weber mashed three hits with a run and an RBI.

In game one, Hendrix jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but fell victim to a six-run inning as the Eagles took the lead late in the game. The Warriors nearly tied it in the seventh but fell just short. The Warriors jumped on the Eagles in game two, sending 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first to come away with a seven first inning runs. Williams Baptist was never able to recover from the Warriors' big inning and fell to the Orange and Black 8-2.

Colten Poellinger tossed three innings in a mid-week start, his second of the season, and struck out a season-high four batters without allowing a hit but earned a no-decision.   

In the first contest, Ryan Ritz led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple and was driven home on a Drew Judson sacrifice fly. The next inning Zach Crenshaw ripped an RBI single to left field that brought home Brady Newville, making it 2-0 in the early going. In the third, Hendrix piled on three more runs on a pair of sacrifice flies from Matt Simmons and John Pounds and an RBI double from Spencer Summers, making it 5-0.

The Eagles got on the board in the fifth with six runs on five hits and a Hendrix error to gain a one-run lead. Williams Baptist added to their lead in the sixth, scoring on a sacrifice fly after a pair of hits to make it 7-5.

In the bottom of the seventh, Thomas Weber led off with a single and Simmons followed with a walk to bring the game-winning run to the plate. Two batters later, Spencer Summers loaded the bases with a walk, and Wyatt Hogan followed suit, with a pinch-hit, RBI base on balls. Trailing by one and with the bases loaded, the Warriors ran out of steam as the Eagles earned the last out of the game to preserve a 7-6 win.

In game two, Hendrix allowed a run in the top of the first, but then busted out to a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Orange and Black sent 13 hitters to the plate, using three walks, five hits, and one Eagles error to cash in seven runs. Wyatt Hogan had the biggest blast of the inning, crushing a two-run double to the left-center gap.

Williams Baptist got on the board with a third inning home run from Tanner Murray but the Warriors responded with a run in the bottom of the frame. Ritz singled, moved to third on a wild pitch and a throwing error, and scored on a Weber double to make it 8-2.

In the top of the seventh, the Eagles attempted to mount a comeback, scoring three runs on three hits, a walk, a hit batsman and an error. With the Warriors leading by three and the tying run at the plate, Nick Land was summoned from the Hendrix bullpen. The sidearm slinger earned the last out of the game on a strikeout to earn his first save of the season, helping Hendrix to survive, 8-5.



Hendrix Notes
- 11 different Warriors recorded a hit in the two games combined, including Davis Page who earned the first base hit of his career.
- In game one, the Warriors tied their season-high for single-game sacrifice flies with three (Judson, Simmons, Pounds).
- Brian Commerford started game two, tossing three innings and finishing with a season-high three strikeouts.
- Brian Epstein, Tim San Pablo, Connor Nelson, Grant Nunn, and Land combined for four innings in game two without allowing an earned run.

Williams Baptist Notes
- Tanner Murray finished 4-for-6 with four runs, two RBI, and a home run. Eric Kent had four hits on the day as well.
- Dalton Freshour earned the win from the bullpen in game one, throwing three scoreless innings for the Eagles.
- Eric Kent earned the save in game one for WBC, allowing on run in the final inning.

Up Next
Hendrix will return to action on Saturday when they open their final series of the regular season against #9 Birmingham-Southern College with two games beginning at 1 p.m.