BROWNWOOD, Texas – Pounding out 11 runs in the sixth inning after being down 3-1, East Texas Baptist University swatted the Howard Payne University YellowJackets, 17-5. ETBU is now 11-7 on the year and 6-1 in the American Southwest Conference.
Jacob Evangelista,
Carson Wilson, and
Jake Miller all had three hits to lead ETBU.
Jordan Hara,
Austin Barry,
Ben Lea,
Christopher Shay, and
Nick Massarini posted two hits. Evangelista and Miller led with three RBI while Lea had two RBI, and Hara, Barry, Massarini, and
Will Kelley had one RBI. Lea recorded a home run as ETBU had five extra base hits in the game.
ETBU used five pitchers on the day as
Cole Godkin came in for relief to receive the win. He went 3.1 innings with four strikeouts to more to 3-3 on the year with just on earned run.
Braden Karnes started the game and went 3.2 innings with four strikeouts giving up three earned runs.
Cody Johnson,
Elijah Dyke and
Parker Witte all pitched, too.
Lea gave ETBU the lead, 1-0, in the top of the fourth on a solo home run but HPU took a two-run lead, 3-1, in the bottom of the fourth. After a scoreless fifth, ETBU erupted for 11 runs in the sixth inning to go up, 12-3. HPU added one in the bottom of the seventh, 12-4, but Miller and Wilson each had a RBI in the eighth for a 10-run lead, 14-4.
HPU did add another run in the bottom of the eighth but a Kelley RBI and two runs on wild pitches in the ninth inning made it 17-5.
ETBU will take on HPU in a double header on Saturday at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.
