MARSHALL, Texas – It took four innings before the East Texas Baptist University bats awoke as they played home run derby hitting six home runs en route to a 14-2 victory over the University of Texas Dallas in the first game of the American Southwest Conference series. A seven-run inning going along with strong pitching helped ETBU to their 12^th win of the year and a 3-1 start in ASC play.

Josh Warbington (four RBI), Kameron Sumrall (three RBI), Connor Combs (four RBI), and Zach Compton (four RBI) would each homer in the game with Sumrall and Warbington hitting two in the game. Compton's lone home run was a grand slam for four RBI. Dynas Doud and Tyler Bates would also have a RBI in the game as well. Ernest Perez received the win with five innings allowing two runs on 10 hits and striking out two to move to 6-0 on the year. Jimmy Russo would pitch four shutout innings in relief to pick up his third save of the season.

Both teams would start off going one-two-three in the first inning. The Comets took the lead in the top of the second on an RBI single by Haden Johnson to make it 1-0. But in the bottom of the second, Warbington continued his hot hitting with a two-run home run to give ETBU the lead. After a RBI single by UTD tied it at two apiece, ETBU would pile four runs in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of two-run home runs by Sumrall and Warbington.

Perez would face a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth, but would get out of it unscathed. Combs would then hit his seventh home run on the season and that would make it 7-2. The sixth inning would see ETBU explode for seven runs. A long single by Bates followed by a bases loaded walk to Doud would make it 9-2. Then Compton would drill a grand slam to left field for the 13-2 advantage. Sumrall would follow that with a solo shot for back-to-back home runs and it was 14-2.

The only trouble Russo would get into was in the top of the eighth inning when he let two runners on base. But he would hold them to their spots as ETBU escaped with no trouble. In the bottom half, the team received an uplifting moment when Jaxon Rader would make his first appearance of the season a memorable one with a base hit in his first at-bat. ETBU took care of business in the ninth to pick up the win.

ETBU plays again tomorrow with a double-header vs. Texas Dallas at 1:00 p.m.