MARSHALL, Texas – The East Texas Baptist University baseball team exploded for 24 runs in their double header sweep over Sul Ross State University. ETBU won game 13-3, and game two 11-4 over the Lobos. ETBU improves to 14-9 overall and to 8-3 in American Southwest Conference play. SRSU falls to 9-17 overall and 2-9 in ASC play.

GAME 1

After two quiet innings to start, ETBU erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Zach Gartner started the scoring with a two-out single, sending Jaxon Rader to home plate. Zach Compton scored on a wild pitch to give ETBU a 2-0 lead. Kam Sumrall would strike out, but an error would create a longer inning in which ETBU would claw out four more runs pushing the lead to 6-0. SRSU got one run back off of a hit by pitch in the top of the fourth inning.

ETBU would answer with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Gartner would use an infield single, then an error from the shortstop to bring home two runs. Josh Warbington sacrificed home a run on a bunt, and Brice Winter used a fielder's choice to bring home two more runs, making the score 10-1. Jonathon Bigley hit a two-run homerun to close out the scoring for SRSU in the top of the fifth. ETBU used a two-run homerun from Conner Combs and a solo homerun from Gartner to cap the scoring for the Tigers.

ETBU was led by Combs and Gartner with three hits each. Sumrall finished the game with two hits, and four other Tigers recorded a hit in the win. Gartner had a game-high three RBI, followed by Combs and Winter with two RBI each. ETBU had 12 hits as a team and walked six times a team.

Kyle Loson was awarded the win to improve his record to 3-1 on the season. Loson pitched 4.0 innings and allowed one run on five hits, striking out three batters. Derrick Findley and Sumrall each pitched one scoreless inning out of the bullpen to secure the win.

Bigley had three hits and two RBI to lead the Lobo offense. Ryan Almager also had two hits and one RBI in the game. Cody Remore was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs (two earned) on five hits in 3.0 innings of work.

GAME 2

ETBU picked up where they left off in game one, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Compton used a fielder's choice to bring home the first run, followed by a two-out single from Warbington to cash home two runs. SRSU answered with a solo homerun from Trent Pearson to cut into the ETBU lead 3-1.

The game would remain 3-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning when ETBU scored six runs to break open the game. Conner Combs walked home a run, followed by a three-run triple from Compton, an RBI single from Gartner, and an error from SRSU caused the sixth run to cross the plate, making the score 9-1. Compton would add to his RBI tally as he launched a two-run homerun to give ETBU an 11-1 lead. Sul Ross was not done as they plated three runs in the top of the ninth to finish the game with an 11-4 score.

Compton, Gartner, and Rader each had two hits to lead the ETBU offense in game two. Compton finished with six RBI to pace the offense, and Warbington had two RBI in the game. Blake Corbin picked up his first collegiate win, pitching 5.0 innings in relief. Corbin allowed two earned runs on four hits.

Jeremy Martinez picked up the loss to move to 1-3 on the season. Martinez allowed three runs on four hits, and walked six batters in 4.2 innings on the mound. Almager had two hits again in game two, and Pearson finished with two hits as well.

ETBU and Sul Ross will conclude their series with a single game tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m.