MARSHALL, Texas – Splitting the doubleheader and earning their first win of the year, the East Texas Baptist University baseball team took game one, 9-3, in explosive fashion but fell in game two, 8-4. ETBU is now 1-7 overall and 1-2 in the American Southwest Conference.
It took a nine run outburst in the sixth inning for the Tigers to earn the 9-3 victory over HPU in Game 1.
Ryan Kasper recorded two hits while he,
Ford Spigener, and
Jake Miller (hit) each had two RBI.
Alan Underwood received his first win of the season lasting six innings allowing one run on three hits while striking out four batters.
Alek Arellano would pitch the final inning with two runs on one hit allowed while striking out one.
The Yellow Jackets would return the favor in Game 2 as they would take an 8-4 win to claim the series. Once again, Kasper led with two hits and recorded a RBI along with
Brady Faulkner,
Cameron Neel, and
Dylan Singletary. While
Derrick Findley (0.1 IP, one run, two hits, one strikeout) was the starting pitcher,
Blake Corbin took the loss going 2.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three.
Peter Delkus,
Austin Schaper,
Sayers Collins,
Erik Gipson,
Daniel Rubio,
Creed Spenrath, and
Julian Pokorny would each make an appearance in the game.
Game 1: ETBU 9, HPU 3
The first three innings were scoreless as there was only one walk between the two teams in the third inning. It was the fourth inning that HPU would take the lead with a solo homer to left for a 1-0 lead. ETBU would have 14 straight batters retired until Miller reached base on a strike out in the fifth inning.
The sixth inning was the difference for ETBU.
Drew Helberg led off by getting hit by a pitch while
Ryan Kasper broke up the no-hitter with a bunt single. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch then scored Helberg to tie up the game at one.
Three straight walks gave ETBU a 3-1 lead before Spigener reached on a fielder's choice that allowed two runs to come in on an error for a 5-1 lead. Miller then singled in two more runs as ETBU led 7-1. Kasper followed Miller's idea and also singled in two more runs to push the score to 9-1. HPU had a two-run homer in the top of the seventh before Arellano slammed the door on HPU for ETBU's first win of the season.
Game 2: HPU 8, ETBU 3
Two batters into the game, HPU would notch the first run across home plate for the quick 1-0 lead. After reaching on an error to start ETBU's first, Faulkner came in to score on a Kasper single that knotted the score at one. In the third inning, Faulkner drove in
Lucas McCrum on a sacrifice fly to give ETBU a 2-1 lead.
The Yellow Jackets would swing momentum their way as they would put up three runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to lead 7-2. ETBU would get a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Neel collected an RBI double. HPU would add a run in the seventh to extend their lead to 8-3. The Tigers would manage just a run on a sacrifice fly by Singletary to score Kasper in the ninth and HPU would close out the doubleheader with an 8-4 win.
ETBU will host Millsaps College at 4:00 PM this Tuesday at Woods Field.
