MARSHALL, Texas – It was another offensive explosion at Woods Field as #21 East Texas Baptist University recorded 28 runs and 24 hits sweeping the series from Mary Hardin-Baylor, 13-3, and 15-6. ETBU is now 15-8 on the year and 10-2 in the American Southwest Conference.
Sayers Collins started game one and recorded his fifth win of the year in six innings of work with 11 strikeouts. Seven pitchers saw action in game two as
Jagger Neely earned the win in two innings of relief with three strikeouts.
Jordan Hara led ETBU with four hits on the day as
Ben Lea and
Brett Wagner had three hits. Hara and Wagner both recorded four RBI. ETBU had three home runs as Hara, Lea, and Wagner all had one.
Carson Wilson added three RBI on the day.
Game 1
ETBU 13, UMHB 3
UMHB scored two runs in the top of the first inning on back-to-back home runs but after that the Crusaders were shut down. Collins allowed just one hit and one run from that point on as he recorded 11 strikeouts. It is the ninth time in his career that he has had 10 or more strikeouts in a game. Collins retired the last nine batters he faced in the fourth through six innings striking out the side in the sixth inning.
Braden Karnes pitched in the seventh inning recording one strikeout retiring the side.
Hara went 3-of-4 with two runs scored in the game. Wagner then recorded two hits for four RBI. Wilson and
Austin Barry had two RBI while Lea added one RBI. Both Wagner and Lea had home runs in the game.
ETBU earned back a run in the bottom of the first inning when Wagner singled in Wilson. UMHB made it 3-1 in the third inning but ETBU tied the game at three in the fourth. Lea had a solo shot over the nets in left field to make it 3-2.
Nick Massarini then scored on a fielder's choice for the second run of the inning.
A wild sixth inning brought 10 runs for ETBU as the blew open the game finishing with 13 runs and 11 hits as UMHB had six errors. Wagner earned three RBI in the inning with a three-run home run to left center field.
Game 2
ETBU 15, UMHB 6
Game two brought more offensive action as 16 players saw an at-bat with seven pitchers all getting a place on the mound. ETBU had 13 hits in the game as
Jase Jones,
Christopher Robinson, and Lea all had two hits. Hara recorded four RBI on a grand slam to lead the team.
Jacob Evangelista, Charles Gordan, and
Jake Miller had two RBI while Wilson, Jones, and Massarini added one RBI each.
UMHB took a 1-0 lead, again, in the first inning and added another run in the second for a 2-0 lead. ETBU answered with six runs in the second inning highlighted by Hara's grand slam. ETBU added another five runs in the third inning for an 11-2 lead. ETBU then scored two in the fourth, and on in the fifth for a 14-2 lead. UMHB scored one in the sixth and three in the seventh to extend the game to nine innings and not be run ruled in the seventh making 14-6. ETBU's final run came in the seventh for the 15-6 final.
Hayden Robichaux started the game and went two innings giving up two earned runs. Neely worked the next two innings to earn the win with three strikeouts.
Jacob Sherman and
Matthew Irwin both pitched an inning after that followed by just 0.2 innings from
Cole Godkin and 1.1 innings from
Cody Johnson. Johnson had three strikeouts in his time on the mound and no hits.
Ben Burroughs finished the ninth with a strikeout and a hit.
ETBU will travel to Abilene, Texas, next weekend to face McMurry University.
