ABILENE, Texas – Pounding out 18 hits for 10 runs with seven extra base hits, no. 5/8 East Texas Baptist University opened the American Southwest Conference series at Hardin-Simmons University with a victory, 10-5. ETBU is now 25-6 and 15-1 in the ASC.
Four players had three hits while two players added two hits in the game.
Jacob Evangelista was 3-for-5 with two home runs and two RBI.
Dylan Burnaman,
Connor Massimini, and
Landon Durdin all had three hits.
Brett Wagner and
Hunter Rumachik added two hits. Durdin led the team with three RBI as Wagner and Rumachik had two RBI and Michael Gallegos one RBI. ETBU had five doubles and two home runs in the game.
Jagger Neely went six innings recording six strikeouts on six hits with three earned runs.
Preston Crow pitched the seventh inning with no runs or hits as
Brayden Hodges finished the final two innings with two strikeouts, five hits, and two earned runs.
Evangelista had a lead-off home run to start the game in the top of the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Four batters later, Wagner singled in Massimini to make it 2-0. HSU cut the lead to one, 2-1, in the bottom of the second but Durding put ETBU back up by two, 3-1, in the third with a single to center field as Wagner came in.
Two more runs in the fifth inning made it 5-1. Rumachik doubled in Massimini with two outs making it 4-1. Durdin then followed with a double to center field brining in Rumachik for the four-run lead, 5-1. The top of the sixth inning brought three runs making it 8-1. Rumachik walked with the bases loaded for the sixth run and Durdin had his second RBI of the game singling in
Nicolas Chavez for the seventh run. Gallegos then walked with the bases loaded as ETBU took an 8-1 lead. HSU added two runs in the sixth to come within five, 8-3, but Evangelista's second home run of the game put ETBU back up by six, 9-3, in the seventh inning Wagner doubled in Massimini four batters later for the 10
th run of the game and a seven-run advantage.
HSU scored one in the eighth and ninth inning for their five runs as ETBU controlled the game for their 25
th win of the year.
The two teams will play a double header on Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m.
