MARSHALL, Texas – The East Texas Baptist University baseball team could not overcome an early deficit in the first game of the double header and saw a lead slip away in game two as they fell to Centenary College in both games. ETBU lost game one, 13-3, and then, 19-10, in the second game. On the day, though, ETBU hit four home runs.

GAME 1

In the first game of the double header, Centenary jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Centenary would tack on four more runs over the next two innings. ETBU would respond in the bottom of the fourth inning with their first runs of the series thanks to a Landen Barns three-run homerun. Centenary would capture the momentum back in its favor with their second three-run homerun of the game in the fifth inning. Centenary added runs in the sixth and seventh innings to win 13-3.

Nine different Tigers notched a hit in the game. Barns's first homerun of the season would be their only scoring output of the game. Dylan Sumpter and Brice Winter each had a double in the game. Ashley Dukes was given the loss in the game, throwing 2.1 innings and allowing seven runs (six earned). Garrett Penny allowing six runs in 4.0 innings in relief.

Matthew Devillier was awarded the win as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed nine hits. His only runs he gave up were on the three run homerun to Barns. Centenary had 16 hits as a team. Cody Crowder and Zane Wilkinson had three hits each. Andrew Russell, Chris Zapata, and Cole Lavergne had a homerun in the game.

GAME 2

ETBU got on the board in the first inning, scoring a run on an error and two runs on back-to-back wild pitches for an early 3-0 lead. Zapata hit his second three-run homerun of the day to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the third inning. Centenary tacked on three more in the top of the fourth. Conner Combs provided the next five runs for ETBU, launching a solo homerun in the fifth inning and a grand slam in the sixth inning to give ETBU the lead 8-6. Centenary answered the challenge with eight runs in the top of the seventh inning. Garrett Lakey hit a solo homerun in the seventh to get a run back, and Jaxon Rader scored on a balk to bring ETBU within four runs, 14-10. Centenary added five runs of insurance in the top of the ninth to close the scoring.

Combs led ETBU with three of the six hits, with five RBIs and two homeruns. Rader had two hits in the game. Blake Corbin was tagged with the loss, as he falls to 0-1 on the season. ETBU allowed 21 hits and 18 earned runs in the loss.

Hunter Amedee was given the win, improving him to 1-0 on the season. Lavergne was awarded the save, after reentering the game to pitch for the second time in the game. Ian Graham had four hits to pace Centenary, and four Gents had three hits in the game.

ETBU will return to action next Tuesday for a single night game against Jarvis Christian College. The game will have a first pitch at 7:00 p.m.