MARSHALL, Texas – Staying alive in the 2023 American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament, #20 East Texas Baptist University combined for 30 runs in wins over LeTourneau University and the University of Texas Dallas. ETBU is now 33-11 overall winning both elimination games to advance to the ASC Championship game for the third year in a row and fourth time under head coach
Jared Hood.
ETBU opened the day with a 9-4 victory over LeTourneau moving onto the next elimination game. They faced #3 seed Texas Dallas claiming a 21-2 win to move into the ASC Championship game vs. Hardin-Simmons University. In order for ETBU to win the championship, they will have to defeat the Cowboys twice on Sunday.
The offense combined for 27 hits and 30 runs while the pitching staff gave up only three earned runs and four total. ETBU hit eight home runs for 29 RBI with seven doubles including one grand slam on the day.
Jake Miller,
Jase Jones, and
Ben Lea all had four hits as Miller led the team with six RBI. Jones and Wagner added five RBI as
Carson Wilson provided four RBI, Lea three RBI, Hara two RBI, and J.C. Barry,
Jacob Evangelista, and
Nick Massarini with one RBI. Both Jones and Wilson had two home runs whle Miller, Hara, Lea, and Wagner each recorded one.
Only four pitchers were used on the day as
Cole Godkin and
Robert Croft received the wins. Croft and
Peyton Miller each had four strikeouts while Godkin and Ben Buroughs had two strikeouts.
ETBU 9, LETU 4
LETU took a 1-0 lead after the first inning but ETBU scored in the next five innings for a 9-4 lead. With a one-run lead, 4-3, after the fourth inning, ETBU added four runs in the fifth inning for an 8-4 advantage. They then added one more int eh sixth inning.
Miller started the game going 4.2 innings for the no decision with four strikeouts and two earned runs. Croft finished the final 4.1 innings to move to 4-0 on the year with four strikeouts and two hits with no runs.
There were 10 hits in the game as six were for extra base hits. Wilson and Lea both had two hits and a home run. Lea, Jones, and Miller all had two RBI as Wilson, Wagner, and Massarini posted one RBI.
Miller tied the game at one in the second inning but a sacrifice fly in the third from Wagner game ETBU a 2-1 lead. Massarini made it 3-1 in the same inning with a single to score Har. LETU tied the game at four in the fifth inning but ETBU responded in the bottom of the inning. Lea had a solo home run for the one-run lead, 5-4. Jones then answered with a two-run home run pushing the lead to three, 7-4. Miller then followed with a sacrifice fly making it 8-4. Lea finished off the scoring in the sixth inning on a single to the left side bringing in Wilson for the 9-4 win.
ETBU 21, UTD 2
Unleashing the offense in their second elimination game of the day, ETBU scored in five of their six innings for the 19-run win, 21-2. A seven-run first inning set the ton as they scored 18 runs in the first four innings and were up 14-0 after three innings.
Godkin went five innings allowing one earned run with two strikeouts and four hits. Burroughs finished the final two innings with two strikeouts and one earned run on two hits.
ETBU had 17 hits as nine were extra base hits including five home runs. Wilson, Hara, Wagner, Jones, and Miller all had home runs. Jones and Miller both had three hits while
Jacob Evangelista, Hara, Lea, and Wagner had two hits apiece. Wagner and Miller both had four RBI as Wilson and Jones posted three RBI and Hara gave two RBI. Evangelista, Lea,
Christopher Robinson, and
JC Barry all had one RBI.
The first inning set the tone of the game as Lea singled in the first run. Jones then doubled in Lea and Hara for a 3-0 lead. Four batters later, with the bases loaded, Miller broke open the game with a grand slam home run for the 7-0 lead. One more run was scored in the second and then six more in the third for a 14-0 lead. UTD earned a run in the fourth but gave up four more in the bottom of the inning to trail ETBU, 18-1.
ETBU added three more runs in the sixth making it 21-1. UTD gained their second run of the game in the seventh.
ETBU advances onto the ASC Championship Game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. They will have to defeat Hardin-Simmons twice in order to win the tournament championship.
