The Howard Payne University baseball team was able to claim the conference-series versus LeTourneau winning game one 16-8 and game two 6-4 on Saturday at Don Shepard Park.

GAME 1 | Howard Payne 16, LeTourneau 8
The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets rallied from down 8-5 in the fifth inning to beat LeTourneau 16-8 in game one on Saturday.

Bryson Adare (2-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Howard Payne. The right-hander went 1.2 innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on two hits, allowing two walks and striking out one. Brandon Taylor also made an impact on the mound for the Yellow Jackets, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings while allowing no hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Yellow Jackets got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Howard Payne’s offense started clicking and put up five runs, including a one-run single off the bat of William Burford.

The Yellow Jackets lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the sixth trailing 8-5. The Howard Payne offense exploded for 11 runs, highlighted by a three-run double off the bat of Burford, which brought the score to 16-8 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. The score remained 16-8 for the rest of the game, as Howard Payne coasted to the win.

GAME NOTES
» Howard Payne got three-hit games from three different hitters.
» Burford drove in five runs for Howard Payne.
» Howard Payne’s highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed 11 runs across.
» Six Yellow Jackets had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Yellow Jackets had a total of 18 hits.
» The Yellow Jackets out-hit Letourneau at an 18-11 clip.
» Howard Payne went 14-for-18 (.778) with runners in scoring position.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 34 LeTourneau hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out three.
» Burford led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and five RBI.
» LeTourneau was led offensively by C. Amarantos, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

GAME 2 | Howard Payne 6, LeTourneau 4
The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and never trailed from there on the way to a 6-4 victory over the LeTourneau Yellow Jackets on Saturday.

Brendan Read (2-1) got the win for Howard Payne (9-12, 5-7). The right-hander went 5.1 shutout innings, giving up two hits, no walks and striking out four. Nicholas Richards also pitched well, going one shutout inning without allowing a hit.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Yellow Jackets put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Howard Payne picked up a pair of runs in the frame.

The Yellow Jackets then held Letourneau scoreless before expanding their lead in the fifth inning. Howard Payne scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Landon Prestage, which brought the score to 3-0 in favor of the Yellow Jackets.

Howard Payne held LeTourneau scoreless before building their lead to 6-0 in the seventh inning. LeTourneau put four runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Howard Payne still held on for the 6-4 win.

GAME NOTES
» Howard Payne’s highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed three runs across.
» The Yellow Jackets had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of Letourneau 2-0 in the bottom of the second.
» The Yellow Jackets out-hit Letourneau at a 10-7 clip.
» Howard Payne pitchers faced 37 LeTourneau hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out six.
» The Yellow Jackets drew four walks from LeTourneau pitching.
» Prestage led the Yellow Jackets at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two RBI.
» LeTourneau was led offensively by D. Jones, who went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
» D. Cortes led the Letourneau pitching staff, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings.

The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Tuesday as they travel to Cleburne, Texas to take on Austin College at the historical Railroader Park with first pitch set for 7:00 PM.