ALPINE, Texas – A strong offensive effort wasn't enough for the East Texas Baptist University baseball team as Sul Ross State University took the double header on Saturday, 9-8, and 13-9. ETBU is 2-11 overall and 2-4 in the American Southwest Conference.
Game one showed ETBU's fight and ability to rally from multiple deficits only to fall 9-8 in seven innings.
Ryan Kasper led with two hits while
Sayers Collins provided four RBI on a grand slam homer. Alain Underwood started and gave up eight runs (four earned) in 4.0 innings while striking out five batters.
Alek Arellano pitched a perfect inning in relief but
John Marrs took the loss with one run and two hits allowed in his one-inning of work.
Game two was back and forth until the Lobos pulled away, 13-9. Nick Deatherage propelled ETBU's offense with four hits and two RBI, including a home run.
Brady Faulkner,
Christopher Robinson, and
Devyn Nicholson (two RBI) would each have two hits and a RBI as well.
Julian Pokorny got the start and would surrender four runs on a hit, but ended up getting a no decision.
Derrick Findley took the loss with 4.2 innings of relief allowing six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.
Game 1: SRSU 9, ETBU 8 (7 Innings)
ETBU was one out from getting out of a jam before the Lobos struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Lobos would then stretch their lead to 6-0 with a four run outburst in the third inning. ETBU wasn't able to get a hit in the first four innings as they stranded runners on base in each inning.
Then in the fifth, the Tigers would get a grand slam from Collins to trail, 6-4. Two more Lobo runs in the bottom of the inning made it 8-4. For the third time in the series, ETBU would have another four run inning as they tied the game in the sixth as McCrum reached on a fielding error that scored two runs while Deatherage singled in the third run. A wild pitch later in the inning tied the game up at eight. The Lobos would grab the lead once again in the bottom of the sixth and would record a perfect seventh to take the first game of the doubleheader.
Game 2: SRSU 13, ETBU 9
ETBU scored first in the first inning on an RBI double by Faulkner to start the game. Entering the second inning, however, it would be, 4-1, in favor of the Lobos. Each team would score a run in the second with ETBU getting theirs on a triple by Nicholson. A single by Deatherage and a double by
Jake Miller would bring the Tigers within one in the third before Faulkner reached on an error that scored the tying run in the fourth at five. SRSU answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning making it, 7-5.
ETBU did knot the game at seven with a home run by Deatherage and a Robinson single in the fifth inning. The game then swung in SRSU's favor as they would score three runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings to lead 13-7. ETBU managed two more runs in the seventh on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Nicholson to cut the lead to four, 13-9. The Lobos then sealed the series win recording the final three outs in the ninth inning.
ETBU will hit the road for a Tuesday game against the University of Dallas. First pitch starts at 2:00 PM.
