BROWNWOOD, Texas – Swinging the bats loudly and scoring 27 runs in the double header sweep, the #13 East Texas Baptist University softball team opened American Southwest Conference play taking wins over Howard Payne University, 12-0, and 15-5. ETBU is now 6-0 on the year and 2-0 in the ASC.
Game one brought an early five-inning 12-0 victory for ETBU. Of the 10 hits by ETBU hitters, two of them came from
Daniella Solis (2B) who also recorded two RBI along with
Regina Garza and
Beatriz Lara.
Mariah Delgado would score three runs while drawing two walks and getting a single. Lara would pitch all five innings striking out seven batters while giving up three hits.
Game two saw Solis carry the offensive load for the Tigers, recording three runs, three hits and five RBI, including a career-best three homers on the day.
Sarah Cedillo added three hits and three RBI to go along with a run scored in four at-bats.
Preslye Cox recorded the win with three strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. Solis finished the final 1.2 innings not giving up any hits and walking only one batter. Overall, ETBU recorded 12 hits in the road victory.
Game 1: ETBU 12, HPU 0
Delgado led the game off with a walk and would come around to score on a double by Solis. In the second inning, the Tigers would benefit on a pair of HPU errors and would score two runs without a hit as
Nikki Gil reached on a field error to score
Emily Deramus while
Regina Garza reached on a fielder's choice to score Gil. ETBU then broke the game open with six runs in the third inning.
Lara would drive in two runs on a single.
Hannah Garcia then followed with a RBI single to right scoring pinch runner
Leah Akridge. Another two singles by
Kaitlin Richards and Solis would score three more runs to lead 9-0 after three. Meanwhile, Lara's bid for a no-hitter ended in the fourth inning on a single, but HPU stranded two runners on base to end the inning. The Tigers then put up three more runs in the top of the fifth as Garza,
Madison Prince, and
Chelcie Pierce recorded RBI singles to see ETBU up 12-0. HPU would loaded the bases with nobody out in an attempt to break the shutout but Lara retired the next three hitters to keep the shutout win.
Game 2: ETBU 15, HPU 5
The Tigers opened the second game the way they started the first with Cedillo singling out to left field, advancing
Kaitlin Hunter to third base and scoring both Garza and
Mariah Delgado for the early 2-0 score. HPU responded with two scores of their own after a single by Sullivan sent Persons home cutting the lead to one, 2-1. Thompson would find her way home on an unearned run to square the ballgame at 2-2 after the first inning.
Solis would break the scoring seal at the top of the third inning, sending a pitch over the wall for her first homerun of the contest, bringing the score to 3-2. The Jacket's Luera found her way across home plate in the bottom of the third, tying the ballgame once again at 3-3.
The Tigers would lead an explosive fourth inning, started after a double by Garcia, sending
Elyssa Hernandez home for the 4-3 advantage. ETBU would bring the score to 5-3, setting the stage for Solis who recorded her second homer of the contest. Solis would collect two RBI and increase the score to 7-3. Three more scores by the Tigers would end the top of the fourth inning with an impressive 10-3 score.
HPU tacked on two more runs but would be unable to stop the ETBU onslaught. ETBU found five more runs in the fifth inning as Solis hit the trifecta with her third home run of the year for two RBI that led to the 15-5 victory.
ETBU will look to complete the series sweep of the Jackets on Saturday, Feb. 22 , at 12:00 p.m.
