MARSHALL, Texas – A late inning rally along with a defensive stand in the ninth inning led East Texas Baptist University to a, 7-5, come-from-behind upset win over #17/#19 University of Texas Dallas. ETBU was down, 5-2, before scoring five unanswered runs in the eighth inning to take the lead. ETBU is now 27-10 on the year and 23-5 in the American Southwest Conference. With the win, they have clinched a spot in the ASC Tournament.
POST GAME PRESSER
Trent Clark came in as a relief pitcher going 2.2 innings for his second win of the year. He recorded five strikeouts allowing no runs on two hits.
Cole Godkin received the start and went 6.1 innings recording three strikeouts with four earned runs and five hits.
Will Kelley went 3-of-4 for two RBI while
Zachary McAdams added two RBI on a home run. Kelley also had a home run in the victory.
UTD struck first in the top of the first inning but
Carson Wilson scored in the bottom of the inning on a passed ball to tie up the game. UTD then scored one in the second and two in the fifth for a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kelley had a solo home run to right center field to cut the lead to two, 4-2. UTD came back, though, in the seventh pushing their lead to three, 5-2.
Clark entered the game in the top of seventh inning after UTD pushed their lead to three. He then recorded a ground out and his first strikeout to finish the inning as UTD left a runner on third base. After ETBU left a runner on in the bottom of the inning, Clark struck out three batters in the eighth inning. He struck out the first batter but then hit a batter. The third batter of the inning then struck out but the next hitter was walked. With two runners on and two outs, Clark recorded his fourth strikeout of the game to end the threat and inning.
Facing the same pitcher that shut down ETBU in the seventh inning, the Tigers went after him in the eighth. Wagner was walked to start the inning and then McAdams unloaded a shot to left field pulling ETBU within one, 5-4, with no outs. UTD pulled their pitcher adding the third pitcher of the game. Three straight bunts, three errors, and wild pitch led to ETBU taking the 7-5 lead off of three unearned runs.
The first of the three unearned runs came in when Wilson laid down a bunt that turned into a throwing error to third base allowing
Jake Miller to score and tie the game. Charles Gordan then scored on a wild pitch for the 6-5 lead and then Kelley singled to right field as Wilson came in for the two-run lead. UTD pulled their third pitcher and brought in another that stopped the threat getting the next three outs.
Clark pitched himself into a jam in the top of the ninth loading the bases with no outs. Two singles and a walk gave UTD momentum with no outs and down by two runs. Facing the middle of the lineup, The fourth batter of the inning flied out to right field for the first out and was too short of a fly ball to score a run. The next batter then struck out for the second out of the inning. Facing the batter that had already hit a home run in the game, Clark got the batter to hit a long fly ball to the wall in left field as
Mason Bobo caught the final out securing the ETBU win.
ETBU will play UTD in a double head on Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m.
