CLEBURNE, Texas -- A three-run ninth inning propelled the fourth-seeded McMurry War Hawks over the top-seeded Texas Lutheran Bulldogs 5-4 in Saturday's game four of the 2026 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Baseball Championship which is being played at La Moderna Field in Cleburne. Official Website l Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview
With runners on second and third, McMurry's Dru Ohmstede squeezed a single up the middle and through the infield to score the tying and go-ahead and runs and Adam Trevino closed out the bottom of the ninth for the War Hawks to lock down the 5-4 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Despite Friday's rain delay, the War Hawks found their stride quickly on Saturday. Colin Bruning knocked an RBI triple to right-center and later scored to cap a two-run opening inning.
- Texas Lutheran was held off the scoreboard until the fifth, where they tied the game at 2-2 after scoring on back-to-back fielder's choices.
- A Chase Bourgeois RBI single in the sixth gave the Bulldogs the lead, and Caleb Alfaro tacked on insurance in the home-half of the eighth to lead 4-2.
- Beckham Paul scored after reaching on an error to begin the ninth, and the War Hawks later managed to put two in scoring position down to their final out.
- Ohmstede came through, scoring both runners with a single up the middle to give McMurry the lead, with Kaden Buske scoring the go-ahead run.
- Trevino was flawless on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, shutting the doors for a 5-4 victory.
MCMURRY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Kaden Buske: 3-5, 2 runs, 2 SB
- Dru Ohmstede: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB
- Beckham Paul: 2-4, 1 run
- Colin Bruning: 1-4, 3B, 1 RBI, 1 run
- Kai'i Sylvester: 2-4
- Trey Gomez (WP): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER
TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Chase Bourgeois: 2-5, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Caleb Alfaro: 1-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 3 BB
- Adam Peavy: 1-4, 2B, 1 BB
- Tristan McGowan (ND): 8.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 5 BB
- Parker Schutte (LP): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K
NOTABLES
- McMurry's victory over top-seeded Texas Lutheran marked the second time in the last three years the top seed of the tournament has lost its first game of the championship. Texas Lutheran defeated the No. 1 seed Trinity in the first game of the 2024 tournament.
- With this year's updated bracket format, McMurry has already won two games in the tournament before either LeTourneau, the second seeded team, has even played a game.
- McMurry moves to 21-19 with the victory while Texas Lutheran drops to 28-13.
- The meeting was the first between the two in SCAC tournament action; TLU had taken two of three from McMurry during the 2026 regular season.
UP NEXT
McMurry advances in the winner's bracket, set to face the winner of third-seeded Concordia (Tex.) and second-seeded LeTourneau at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Texas Lutheran will play the winner of tonight's nightcap at 3:00 p.m. in game eight on Sunday.
