MARSHALL, Texas – Aggressive hitting and clutch pitching the entire game gave the East Texas Baptist University baseball team a shutout over the Centenary College Gents, 7-0, in a nine-inning victory on Sunday afternoon. ETBU wins their first series of the season by taking two-of-three games against the Gents to start out 2-1.
 
Collecting eight hits as a team, the Tigers were led by two hit performances from Casey Combs (HR, two RBI), Landen Barns, and Zachary McAdams while Seth Mikeska and Ford Spigener also had two RBI in the game.  Starting for ETBU was John Marrs, who lasted 4.1 innings allowing four hits with three strikeouts. Alek Arellano (0.2 IP, one BB), Cole Godkin (1.0 IP, two hits), Chad Boudreaux (1.0 IP, two hits), Call Florence (1.0 IP, one hit, one BB, three strikeouts), and Cade Purcell (1.0 IP, one hit, three strikeouts) finished out the remaining 4.2 innings with Florence getting the win in relief for his performance. CC finished with 10 hits total as they were led by three hits from Andrew Russell. Starting pitcher Kason King lasted just one-third of an inning as he took the loss allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits.
 
CC left 13 runners on base without scoring while ETBU's pitching staff struck out nine batters in all. ETBU would only leave eight runners on base and have two strikeouts against them. Both sides would allow four batters to reach base by walk while ETBU had one stolen base all day long.
 
Marrs faced an early obstacle in the top of the first with two runners on base and one out before getting out of the jam with a fly out to left and a pickoff to second.  ETBU would carry the momentum with four runs in the bottom half of the frame as following a leadoff hit by pitch to Jeremy Bateman and a double by Combs, Gartner would hit a sacrifice fly scoring Bateman while Seth Mikeska drilled a two-run homer over the left field fence for his first home run of the year. Spigener than picked up an RBI groundout to make it 4-0 after the first inning.
 
Marrs kept the Gents at bay for the next three frames allowing just one hit and three base runners as ETBU would then extend their lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a fielder's choice by Combs. CC threatened in the top of the fifth inning loading the bases. But after a pitching change as Arellano came in, ETBU recorded a 1-2-3 double play to keep the shutout in tack. Spigener then reached base on an error in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored Mikeska. Combs then homered an inning later to extend the lead to 7-0 through six.
 
The top of the seventh inning would see CC load the bases yet again. But once again, they failed to bring anyone in as Broudeaux maintained their seven run lead with two big outs. CC's last six outs were strikeouts as the Tigers' final two pitchers of Florence and Purcell slammed the door on the shutout win to grab the series victory.
 
ETBU will fly out to California to take on #20 Chapman University for a three-game series next weekend. It will be a three day series as ETBU will play on Thursday (6:00 PM), Friday (2:30 PM), and Saturday (1:00 PM).