MARSHALL, Texas - After not being on the field for 11 months due to COVID-19, the East Texas Baptist University baseball team returned to Woods Field for their 2021 spring opener and started with a bang. Behind stellar offense and brilliant pitching, the Tigers came up with two wins over Jarvis Christian College, 8-3, and 9-2, to begin the 2021 season 2-0.
Game one saw ETBU take care of business with two homers as they won 8-3.
Carson Wilson (two hits) made the most of his first game with four RBI, including a home run in his first at-bat.
Christopher Robinson also homered and drove in two RBI.
Jake Miller and
Will Kelley would each have two hits.
Rece Gustafson (2.0 IP, two runs, four hits, two K's) received the start, but
Cole Godkin earned the win in five relief innings allowing one run on four hits while striking out a career-high seven hitters.
In game two, the Tigers would use a six-run fourth inning to pull away from the Bulldogs, 9-2. Wilson and
Austin Barry (RBI) would each have two hits while
Jake Miller hit a three-run homer. Robinson tacked on two more RBI to finish with four on the day.
Adrian Stover would get the win in four innings allowing one run on four hits while striking a new personal best five batters.
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Game 1: ETBU 8, JC 3 (7 Inn.)
JC would get on the board in the top of the first courtesy of a Tiger error. Yet, the Tigers would answer back with Wilson homering to drive in three runs for a 3-1 lead. A Bulldog home run in the top of the second inning made it 3-2 only for the Tigers to recapture the two-run lead on a passed ball in the bottom of the second.
Robinson would extend the Tiger lead to 6-2 with a two-run shot in the bottom of the third inning. In the fourth inning, Wilson recorded his fourth RBI of the contest with a sacrifice fly. Godkin would work three scoreless innings until the Bulldogs brought one back home in the sixth on a wild pitch. ETBU would score on a wild pitch of their own to lead, 8-3, which would be the final score.
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Game 2: ETBU 9, JC 2 (7 Inn.)
After a scoreless first inning from both pitchers, the Bulldogs would grab the early 1-0 lead on a two-out single. ETBU answered with three runs in the bottom half as Wilson scored on a two-base error while Kelley homered and Barry drove in a run on a single. Stover then worked his way out of trouble in the third and fourth innings to keep the team in front 3-1.
ETBU would then break the game open with six runs in the fourth inning. A wild pitch scored Zach McAdams while Robinson drove in two more runs to lead, 6-1. Miller then connected with a three-run homer making it, 9-1. Despite giving up a solo homer in the sixth, reliever
Jacob Sherman prevented any more offense from the Tigers before giving way to
Julian Pokorny, who finished JC off in the seventh.
The Tigers will have a three-game series with Centenary College later this weekend. While Friday night will be on the road in Shreveport, La., the next two will be at ETBU starting at 1:00 PM on Saturday pending weather.
