Box Score TYLER, Texas – Playing for their first American Southwest Conference Championship, the East Texas Baptist University baseball team fell in 13 innings in game one of the Gold Bracket Championship series versus the University of Texas at Tyler, 9-8. #3 Texas Tyler moves to 38-7 overall, and one win away from back-to-back ASC titles. ETBU falls to 30-14 overall, and will need to win twice on Saturday to claim the ASC title.
ETBU got on the board first with an RBI single from Zach Gartner to plate Mason Aldredge. Alex Bishop answered in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run homerun to put the Patriots on top 3-1. Texas Tyler extended their lead with an RBI groundout from Tim Hunter in the bottom of the second inning. Zach Compton drilled a run-scoring double to right center, cutting the lead to 4-2. Compton would strike again in the fifth inning with his second grand slam in as many games to put ETBU on top 6-4.
Kyle Broussard tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run single. Blake Wilson put the Patriots back on top with a single of his own, giving Texas Tyler a 7-6 lead. Aldredge would score on a Patriot error, followed by a Gartner sacrifice fly to give ETBU an 8-7 lead. Trenton Buchhorn tied the game with an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. ETBU and Texas Tyler would remain scoreless until the bottom of the 13th inning when the Patriots won the game on a walk-off wild pitch.
Aldredge and Compton led the way offensively with three hits each, followed by Gartner with two hits. Conner Combs, Casey Combs, Brice Winter, and Dylan Sumpter each had one hit. Compton drove in five runs, becoming ETBU's all-time leader in career RBI with 144. Gartner also drove in two runs. Ashley Dukes picks up the loss in relief, going 1.2 innings and allowing one run on two hits, striking out three batters. Logan Sprinkle pitched 5.0 innings in relief, allowing one run on five hits.
Graham Welch had three hits, followed by Daniel Williams, Bishop, Buchhorn, and Broussard with two hits each. Bishop and Broussard led the team with three and two RBI respectively. Cody Brown picked up the win to move to 9-2 overall. Brown tossed 2.0 innings of shutout relief, allowing just one hit.
ETBU and Texas Tyler will resume at 2:00 p.m., with an if-necessary game following if ETBU wins.
