BROWNWOOD, Texas – Headed to West Texas to open the American Southwest Conference, #4 East Texas Baptist University's offense produced 23 runs on 22 hits in a double header sweep of Howard Payne University. ETBU won game one, 9-2, and then shut the YellowJackets out, 14-0, in five innings for game two. The Tigers are now 10-1 on the year and 2-0 in the ASC.
Emma Bell went 4-of-7 on the day with a double and a triple to lead the team in hits.
Tristen Maddox finished with three hits, four runs scored, a home run, and five RBI.
Nadia Almanza recorded four RBI on two hits as
Elizabeth Watkins,
Ava Rodriguez,
Ava Nieto all had two RBI. Bell,
Izabella Morales, Shelby Navarerete,
Haylie Stum, and
Tauryn Cummings finished with one RBI.
Ava Rodriguez and
Avery Holland earned the wins. Rodriguez went five innings with four strikeouts and Holland had the shutout with five strikeouts giving up just two hits.
Game 1
ETBU 9, HPU 2
Four players had two hits each as ETBU scored in the final four innings of the game. Bell, Morales, Rodriguez, and Navarrete all had two hits. Maddox recorded a home run and three RBI as Rodriguez had two RBI and Watkins, Cummings, and Navarrete with one RBI.
Rodriguez went five of the seven innings allowing just three hits, no runs, and four strikeouts.
Toni Tamborello went 0.2 innings and
Kassidy Cravey finished the final 1.1 innings with three strikeouts and only one hit.
After a scoreless first inning, Rodriguez tripled in Morales for the first run. Navarrete then added a RBI for the 2-0 lead. Maddox made it 5-0 in the fourth inning with a three-run home run and then in the fifth Bell came in on an error to make it 6-0. Watkins singled in
Hannah A. Kelley in the sixth for a seven-run lead and Cummings earned a RBI on a fielder's choice for the eighth run. HPU picked up two runs in the sixth inning but Rodriguez doubled in Morales for a 9-2 final.
Game 2
ETBU 14, HPU 0
Unleashing for 14 runs with two six-run innings, ETBU had 10 hits and allowed HPU just two hits taking the double header. Holland pitched the five-inning, two-hit shutout with five strikeouts for her second win.
Maddox, Bell, and Almanza all had two hits as four other players recorded one hit. Almanza led the team with four RBI as Maddox and Nieto had two RBI and Stum, Bell, Morales, and Watkins had one RBI. Almanza recorded her first home run and also had a sacrifice fly.
ETBU's first run came in on a throwing error in the first inning and then Almanza's sacrifice fly in the second inning made it 2-0. Maddox and Stum singles in the third brought in three runs for a 5-0 lead and then Almanza had a three-run homer for the 8-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Bell, Morales, Watkins, and Maddox all recorded a RBI for a 12-0 lead. Nieto finished off the scoring with a double for two RBI making it 14-0.
ETBU will play the final game at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday vs. HPU.
