AUSTIN, Texas – Strong pitching and clutch hitting propelled the East Texas Baptist University to a double header sweep over Concordia University on Saturday. ETBU has now won five American Southwest Conference series in a row. ETBU improves to 23-11 overall, and to 14-4 in ASC play. Concordia falls to 20-13 this season, and 11-7 in ASC play.

GAME 1

It was all ETBU in game one of the double header as the Tigers cruised to a 9-0 shutout behind a dominant start from Kyle Loson. Loson allowed just four hits in 7.0 innings of work on the mound. Conner Combs started off the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single plating Jaxon Rader. ETBU tacked on four runs in the top of the fifth and sixth inning to cruise the rest of the way. Conner Combs and Rader teamed up again, this time from a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0 ETBU. Zach Gartner doubled home Brooks Robey and Zach Compton to extend the lead to 4-0. Kam Sumrall hit a ground-rule double to score Gartner, extending the lead to 5-0.

In the sixth inning, Conner Combs singled home Dylan Sumpter to start the scoring. Compton doubled home Conner Combs to give ETBU a 7-0 advantage. Sumrall singled home Gartner and Compton to end the scoring in game one.

Conner Combs had three hits and three RBI to pace the Tiger offense. Compton, Gartner, and Sumrall each had two hits, with Sumrall collecting three RBI as well. Rader, Robey, and Casey Combs picked up one hit each. Loson allowed just four hits in 7.0 innings of work on the mound, improving his record to 4-1 this season.

Clarence Guidry had two of the four hits for Concordia, followed by Casen Novak and Cole Angelle with one hit each. Jake Valadez took the loss to fall to 3-4 this season, allowing two runs on five hits in 4.0 innings pitched.

GAME 2

ETBU continued the offensive output in game two when Combs drove home Rader and Mason Aldredge with an RBI double to left center, giving ETBU an early 2-0 lead. Brice Winter brought home Sumrall on a RBI groundout in the top of the second inning to give ETBU A 3-0 lead. Concordia tied the game up in the bottom of the fourth inning on back-to-back base hits.

Aldredge doubled home Rader in the top of the fifth inning to give ETBU the lead 4-3. Aldredge would later score on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 5-3, followed by a Gartner RBI single to plate Compton. ETBU would tack on two more runs in the top of the fifth inning with a Brice Winter single with the bases loaded. Conner Combs capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning.

Sumrall led the way for ETBU offensively with four hits in five trips to the plate. Rader had three hits and two doubles in the leadoff spot in the lineup. Aldredge and Conner Combs each had two hits. Conner Combs and Sumrall picked up three RBI for the second game in a row. Garrett Penny picks up the win in relief, going 5.0 innings and allowing only two hits to move to 5-0 this season. Derrick Findely had a strong start, going 4.0 innings and allowing three runs.

Wilkes Swaim and Colton Poindexter each had two hits for Concordia. Matthew Williams is tagged with the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings pitched.

ETBU will return to action next weekend with another ASC road series, this time at Howard Payne University. ETBU and HPU will play a single game on Friday at 2:00 p.m., then will conclude the series on Saturday with a double header beginning at 12:00 p.m.