AUSTIN, Texas – Seniors Ryan Capel, Kylen Harrell and Justin Traxler combined to give up zero earned runs and strike out 11 to help the Concordia Texas baseball team defeat Howard Payne 7-1 on Sunday at Tornado Field.
 
With the win, the Tornados complete the sweep of HPU and move to 23-11, 16-5 in American Southwest Conference play and remain in first place in the ASC.
 
Traxler, from Austin, Texas, earned his seventh save of the season after tossing 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and fanning four. He is currently one save shy of tying the program single season record of eight set by Austin Derrick in 2005. The save for Traxler was also the 18th in his career, the most in Tornados history.
 
CTX jumped ahead with two runs in the second inning thanks to RBI singles off the bats of Jacob Stegent and Clarence Guidry III.
 
After Harrell escaped trouble on the mound in the third, the Tornados broke the game open with a four-run third inning. The inning was highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles from Stegent and Ryan Clouse to make the score 6-0.
 
Stegent, a junior out of Brenham, Texas, finished the day 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
 
Howard Payne scored their lone (unearned) run in the fifth, but CTX responded immediately in the bottom half when Jacob Gywnne singled through the left side to bring home Michael Evan.
 
Harrell, who caught the ceremonial first pitch from his father, Army Veteran Rony Lizardo, was stellar in the start. He threw 4.0 innings, giving up three hits, no earned runs and striking out five. Harrell was relieved by Capel (1-1), who got the win after striking out two in a scoreless fifth inning.
 
The Tornados will look to remain atop the ASC next weekend with their final conference series of the year in Tyler, Texas against UT Tyler. Game one of the series will begin Friday night at 7:00 p.m.