SHREVEPORT, La. – Sacrifice flies are what saved #23 East Texas Baptist University in their mid-week game vs. Centenary College taking a 7-5 victory on the road. Two sacrifice flies in two different innings became the difference in the game as ETBU moved to 25-8 on the year.
Ben Lea,
Nick Massarini, and
Jake Miller all had two hits for ETBU with Miller posting the only extra base hit in the game with a double.
Jacob Evangelista, Massarini, and Miller all had one RBI while
Brett Wagner led the team with two RBI.
Six pitchers took the mound in Shreveport, La., as
Jagger Neely started going 4.1 innings with on strikeout and three earned runs on 10 hits.
Jacob Sherman worked 0.2 innings in the fifth followed by
Braden Karnes in the sixth inning allowing one run.
Matthew Irwin, who received the win, went in the seventh allowing no runs or hits with a strikeout. Robert Craft took the mound in the eighth giving up one hit and
Trent Clark was given the save in the ninth retiring the side for the win.
The game came down to the final three innings as the two teams were tied at five after the sixth inning. Wagner had a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning as
Jordan Hara came across the plate as the go-ahead run, 6-5. Evangelista then gave ETBU an insurance run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly to centerfield as Miller came in for the 7-5 lead. ETBU went one-two-three in the ninth and then shut down Centenary in the bottom of the inning as Clark retired the side for the win.
ETBU took a 3-0 lead with three runs in the second inning. Massarini singled in
Jase Jones and then Lea stole home on a double steal to make it 2-0. Massarini followed advancing as the third run of the inning on a wild pitch.
Centenary collected one run in the bottom of the second to come within two, 3-1, but Wagner single din his first RBI of the game as
Carson Wilson scored for a 4-1 lead. A three-run inning by Centenary in the fifth inning tied the game at four. Miller's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning put ETBU up, 5-4, but Centenary tied in the bottom of the sixth at five. ETBU then won the game in the seventh and innings with their sacrifice flies.
ETBU travels to Richardson, Texas, on Friday and Saturday for a three-game American Southwest Conference series.
