MARSHALL, Texas – An explosive first two innings led to no. 2 East Texas Baptist University run-ruling Concordia University Texas, 10-2, in five innings advancing to their sixth straight American Southwest Conference Championship game. ETBU is now 37-2 winning their last 14 games.
CTX took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning but four Tornado errors in the bottom of the inning led to five ETBU runs as the Tigers opened up their offense. ETBU finished the game with 11 hits for 10 runs with a home run and two doubles. One of the doubles belonged to
Tristen Maddox as she broke ETBU's all-time record for doubles.
Maddox led the team going 3-of-4 with three runs scored and one RBI posting a double and a home run.
Courtney White followed with two hits along with
Haylie Stum. Stum led the team with three RBI as
Tauryn Cummings,
Izabella Morales,
Emma Bell, and
Delanie Loya all had one RBI.
Hannah Benavides moved to 15-0 on the year allowing just two earned runs on three hits. She retired the side in the second and fifth innings.
Down 1-0 headed into the bottom of the first inning, ETBU scored five runs before recording an out. Cummings tied the game on a single to right center field. White was the second run to score on a throwing error trying to get Cummings out at second in a steal and Stum followed with a RBI single for a 3-1 lead. Bell then bunted in Stum for the fourth run and then came in on a Loya double to right field.
In the second inning, Stum singled in two runs as both Maddox and White scored making it 7-1. CTX had a solo home run in the third but Maddox answered in the fourth inning with her own solo home run and a six-run lead, 8-2. Morales added a RBI in the inning pushing the score to 9-2. In the fifth inning, CTX's seventh error of the game allowed the 10
th run to score as ETBU run-ruled the Tornados.
ETBU will play the winner of the LeTourneau/CTX game at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
ASC Championship Notes
- ETBU has won 11 ASC Tournament Championships and three of the last four
- ETBU is looking to back-to-back titles for the first time since 2019, 2021 (no 2020 season – CoVID)
- ETBU won five straight ASC Tournament Championships from 2000 to 2004
- ETBU has played in 15 ASC Championship games
- Saturday will mark the 16th ASC Championship Game appearance for ETBU and sixth straight
- ETBU is 11-4 in ASC Championship games
- Janae Shirley has won six ASC Tournament Championships
- Shirley has coached in 10 ASC Championship games and is 6-4
- ETBU has won championships under Shirley in 2011, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2023
- This is just the second time that the ASC Championship Tournament has been held at ETBU
