MARSHALL, Texas – It was the pitching in this American Southwest Conference double header that pushed East Texas Baptist University to the sweep as they posted 24 strikeouts against Hardin-Simmons University. ETBU took the seven-inning game, 3-1, and the held off HSU, 9-4, in game two moving to 23-8 on the year and 18-2 in the ASC. ETBU has now won 12 games in a row and are 15-3 at Woods Field.
ETBU scored 12 runs on the day as
Austin Barry recorded eight of those with a double and two home runs. Jacob Evangelisat followed with three hits.
Ben Lea added two hits which were both home runs for two RBI.
Jake Miller also had a RBI.
Sayers Collins earned the win in game one going seven innings allowing just one earned run and recording 13 strikeouts.
Robert Croft received the win in game two in relief going three innings with one strikeout and two hits.
Game 1
ETBU 3, HSU 1
After five scoreless innings, HSU took a 1-0 lead with a home run in the top of the sixth inning, ETBU answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs to take the win, 3-1. Collins earned his eighth win of the year with a season-high 13 strikeouts. ETBU had only four hits in the game as two were for extra base hits. Evangelista, Lea, Austin, and Miller all had one hit.
Lea tied the game at one to start the bottom of the sixth inning on a solo home run to center field. With two outs, Barry put ETBU up, 3-1, with a two-run double to right field. Collins then allowed two hits in the seventh but struck out two batters including the final out of the inning for the win.
Collins worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning with two outs as the seventh batter of the inning hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat. He ended the second inning with a strikeout retiring 11 straight batters after that. In that run, he struck out seven straight batters retiring the side in the fourth and fifth innings.
Game 2
ETBU 9, HSU 4
In a combined pitching effort, ETBU used four pitchers recording 11 strikeouts in the game for the win.
Peyton Miller started the game going 3.2 innings with six strikeouts giving up two earned runs on four hits. Croft followed for the win going three innings with one strikeout and one earned run on two hits.
Cody Johnson worked 0.1 innings with a strikeout and
Jacob Sherman finished with three strikeouts in two innings allowing no runs or hits in six batters faced.
Austin went 3-of-4 with six RBI and two runs scored with two home runs. Evangelista added two hits in the game.
Carson Wilson and Lea both had a RBI.
ETBU went up, 4-0, after two innings scoring three runs in the first and one in the second inning. Barry made it 3-0 with one out home run to center field earning three RBI. Wilson singled in Evangelista in the second inning for the 4-0 lead. HSU cut the lead to one, 4-3, with three runs in the fourth inning but ETBU added a run in the fourth and two in the fifth for a 7-3 lead. Lea hit his second home run of the day for a run in the fourth and Barry added his second home run of the game for two RBI in the fifth.
HSU added a run in the seventh but then Evangelista scored on a throw to second for the eighth run and Barry finished the score with a RBI single up the middle.
ETBU finishes the series at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
