HOUSTON, Texas – The St. Thomas Celts dropped a 13-5 decision to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in a non-conference matchup Tuesday night at HCU's Husky Field. The loss evens the Celts' record at 10-10 on the season.

The Crusaders struck first in the opening inning with a double steal that plated their first run. The Celts answered immediately in the bottom half when Dillon McKee singled up the middle to drive in Eduardo Tamez, knotting the score at 1-1.

UMHB broke the game open in the second inning with three runs, highlighted by Carson Hagan's two-run double. The Crusaders extended their lead to 7-2 by the fourth inning, capitalizing on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning.

The Celts showed fight in the middle innings, cutting the deficit to 8-4 in the fifth. Ruben Izaguirre and Alex Andersen delivered RBI singles, with Izaguirre scoring on Andersen's hit to left center. Alex Trinh added an RBI triple in the sixth to pull St. Thomas within 9-5.

However, UMHB's power proved too much as they launched three home runs in the late innings, including two from Cameron Talburt, to pull away for the victory.

Looking Ahead

The Celts return to conference play this weekend with a crucial three-game SCAC series against Schreiner University. The series schedule at Don Sanders Field:

• Friday, March 28: 6 PM

• Saturday, March 29: Doubleheader at 1 PM & 4 PM

Follow all the action @USTCeltbaseball on Instagram for live updates throughout the weekend series.