Box Score MARSHALL, Texas – A strong relief performance by Jimmy Russo proved to be the big difference as the East Texas Baptist University baseball team took game one of the three game series against LeTourneau University, 8-4. This win improves the record to 17-11 and 8-5 in the American Southwest Conference and is the first ASC win vs. LETU since March 29, 2013.
Conner Combs and Jaxon Rader, who hit his first home run of the year, would each get three hits while Dynas Doud led the way with two RBIs on two hits. Tyler Bates went two-for-two with two hits and a walk. Ernest Perez started the game for ETBU, but only went four innings allowing four runs on five hits and struck out two batters. Logan Sprinkle came in to get a strikeout in the fifth, but it was Russo who finished the game with 4.2 shutout innings pitched allowing three hits and striking out seven to get his first win of the season.
ETBU struck first with three runs on RBI singles by Zach Compton, Kameron Sumrall, and Josh Warbington in the first. Bates would make it 4-0 with an RBI triple in the bottom of the second inning scoring Rader. After a scoreless third, the Yellow Jackets of LeTourneau had back to back RBI doubles to make it 4-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Rader would hit his first home run and the team's 40th of the season to make it 5-2. Doud would then drive Bates home and it was 6-2. Perez ran into trouble in the fifth as a hit by pitch and a walk gave LeTourneau two runs to make it 6-4. After a strikeout by Sprinkle, Russo got two strikeouts to stop the rally. Neither team would score until the eighth inning when Doud put the icing on the game with a two-run single and it was 8-4. Russo used the lead to his advantage as he secured the win for ETBU.
Saturday's double header starts at 1:00 pm with a seven inning game. Following game two will be a nine-inning game three at 3:30 pm.
