MARSHALL, Texas – Friday Night Lights came to Bell Park at Taylor Field with more than 1,000 people watching no. 2 East Texas Baptist University come-from-behind for a 3-2 win over no. 10 Belhaven University in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. ETBU now advances to the Championship Round on Sunday after tying the program record for wins at 45.
"We knew Belhaven was going to be a challenge as it is someone we have continually met up with the past couple of years and they are a good veteran team. Carruth always does a nice job on the mound and we knew it was going to be a challenge and won we were going to accept," said head coach
Janae Shirley. "Maddie (Melton) had a phenomenal game and a stellar performance."
Melton came in as a relief pitcher in the first inning after three batters and went 6.1 innings allowing only one hit an no runs on a team that averages five runs per game. She retired the side in the second and fifth innings. Overall, ETBU gave up just one run and two hits in the game.
It only took four hits for ETBU to win the game as
Courtney White,
Ava Rodriguez, Emma Bel, and
Mary Frances Ellis all had one hit. White and Rodriguez recorded a RBI.
The win breaks a four-game post-season losing streak to Belhaven and puts ETBU at 23-0 at home. ETBU has now won 22 straight games tying a program record for consecutive wins set earlier in the season.
Just two batter into the bottom of the first inning, Belhaven took a 1-0 lead on a home run. After a walk, and only one out, Melton came in for
Hannah Benavides getting out of a jam. A walk and a fielder's choice loaded the bases with only one out. Melton preceded to follow with a fielder's choice and line out to end the inning.
A scoreless second inning took place for both teams but ETBU broke through int eh third inning. With two outs, ETBU score two runs to take the 2-1 lead. The first two batters grounded out but
Mary Frances Ellis was then hit by the pitch. She then stole second and came home on a throwing error at
Tristen Maddox's at-bat. Maddox stole second and came in for the 2-1 lead on White's double down the left field line.
Belhaven tied the game up at two in the bottom of the third only to see ETBU re-take the lead, 3-2, in the top of the fourth. Rodriguez singled up the middle bringing in Bell. That is all the scoring needed for Melton in the circle as Belhaven's only other hit came in the seventh inning. That hit, though, started the inning giving life to the Blazers to try and tie the game. Two fielder's choices followed suite on great plays from Maddox at short stop and Cummings at third for two outs. BU's top hitter then flew out to left field to end the game as ETBU moved on in the winner's bracket.
ETBU will now face the winner of the UW-Oshkosh/Tufts game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
