MARSHALL, Texas – It took until the bottom of the seventh inning and finding five runs for the victory, but no. 4 East Texas Baptist University finished the sweep of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 5-2, and 10-9, moving to 16-1 and 8-0 in the American Southwest Conference. ETBU won game one with strong pitching by and then used their grittiness in game two coming back from four runs down in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs.
Hannah Benavides earned two wins on the day going seven innings in game one with two strikeouts and then was the relief pitcher in the seventh inning in game two earning the win. She is now 7-0 on the year and had three strikeouts.
Mary Frances Ellis and
Haylie Stum both recorded four hits to lead the team as
Tristen Maddox,
Emma Bell,
Tauryn Cummings, and
Courtney White all had three hits. Maddox recorded two home runs and six RBI as White had three RBI and Cummings two RBI. Bell, Ellis, and
Ava Rodriguez all had one RBI. Both Bell and Cummings hit their first home runs of the year as it was Bell's first collegiate home run.
Game 1
ETBU 5, UMHB 2
Recording 12 hits as two were home runs and two were doubles, ETBU scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie. They added another run in the sixth for a 5-2 advantage. Maddox, Cummings, Stum, and
Izabella Morales all had two hits. White added two RBI as Maddox, Cummings, and Ellis each brought in one run.
Benavides had two strikeouts allowing five hits facing 24 batters. She retired the side in the second and seventh innings.
White singled in the first run of the game as Maddox came in the first inning. Two innings later, Cummings had a solo home run to left field for a 2-0 lead. UMHB tied the game up at two in the top of the fourth but ETBU added two more in the bottom of the inning.
Ellis had a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Bell and then a hit and throwing error on White's at-bat allowed Morales to come in for a 4-2 lead. Maddox hit her fifth home run of the year in the bottom of the sixth to make it 5-2.
Game 2
ETBU 10, UMHB 9
Headed to the bottom of the seventh down four runs, 9-5, after giving up five runs in the top of the inning, ETBU rallied scoring five runs as Maddox hit the walk-off three-run home run with two outs for the win. That hit was the first of the game for Maddox as she went 1-of-2 for five RBI.
Ellis was 3-of-4 in the game with two runs scored as White, Stum, Bell, and Makayla Mechue all had two hits. Recording a RBI were White, Cummings, Bell, Melton, and Rodriguez.
Avery Holland received the no-decision going 6.1 innings giving up seven earned runs on 13 hits with four strikeouts. Benavides finished the final 0.2 innings with two hits, one run, and one strikeout.
UMHB looked to be in control of the game scoring in the third and fifth innings for a 2-0 lead. ETBU answered, though, with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Maddox had a sacrifice fly to right field as Menchue came in for the first run. White then singled in Ellis to tie the game at two and Cummings followed with a double to right center bringing in White for a 3-2 lead.
The Crusaders answered right back with two runs in the sixth for a 4-3 advantage only to see ETBU match the two runs to make it 5-4. Bell hit her first collegiate home run to tie the game at four leading off the inning and five batters later, Maddox was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded for the one-run lead, 5-4.
The top of the seventh brought five unanswered runs to take a 9-5 lead. Stum started the bottom of the seventh with a single followed by a Bell single for two runners on and no outs. After a UMHB pitching change, Melton's at-bat brought an error in right field that allowed
Hannah Kelley to score cutting the lead to three, 9-6. After a foul out, Rodriguez came in clutch as a pinch hitter doubling down the left field line scoring Morales to come within two, 9-7, with two outs. Ellis followed with a short single to second base beating out any chance of a throw setting up Maddox at the top of the lineup.
Looking like Maddox was going to get walked with a 3-1 count, she took the next pitch over the left field wall for her sixth home run of the year, a three-run shot, handing ETBU the sweep and win, 10-9.
ETBU will face UMHB in one game on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
