MARSHALL, Texas – Scoring in seven of the eight innings played, #15/19 East Texas Baptist University opened up the NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament with a 16-6 victory over California Lutheran University. ETBU moves to 35-11 on the year and stays in the winner's bracket of the tournament.
 
ETBU added to their home run total with three runs as Jacob Evangelista, Jordan Hara, and Jase Jones all had one. Five players had two or more hits as ETBU posted 15 hits on the day. Evangelista went 4-of-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Jones followed with three hits and three RBI with three runs scored. Carson Wilson, Hara, and Ben Lea all had two hits. Wilson collected two RBI as Lea, Jake Miller, and Nick Massarini had one RBI.
 
Cole Godkin received the start going six innings for his sixth win of the year recording five strikeouts. He allowed just one hit and two earned runs. Jagger Neely followed going two innings with two strikeouts and one earned run while Ben Burroughs finished the final inning giving up three earned runs on four hits.
 
Down 2-0 after the top of the first inning, ETBU scored four runs and never looked back. The first run came on an Evangelista home run. Jones followed with a three-run home run to left field for a 4-2 lead. After not scoring in the second inning, ETBU had one run in the third and fourth inning for a 6-2 lead. Following a no-run fifth inning three runs came in the sixth inning with all three coming on errors.
 
CLU cut the lead to six, 9-3, in the top of the seventh but ETBU collected five runs in the bottom of the inning. Hara's three-run home run highlighted the five runs in the inning. Two more runs came in the eighth on a Miller sacrifice fly. Wilson finished off the scoring with a single as Massarini came in for the 16-3 lead. CLU scored three in the eighth and ninth innings for the final of 16-6.
 
ETBU will face Trinity University at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday for the chance to go to the Marshall, Texas, Regional Tournament Championship game.