MARSHALL, Texas – Advancing to their seventh straight American Southwest Conference Championship Game, no. 1 East Texas Baptist University came-from-behind for a 7-4 victory over Hardin-Simmons University. ETBU was trailing 4-2 after two innings but scored five runs over the next four innings to improve to 39-3.
ETBU's offensives performance included two home runs and three doubles.
Tauryn Cummings led the Tigers with a home run and two RBI.
Mallory Pyle added a home run and a double, driving in two runs.
Haylie Stum, in a pinch-hit role, connected for a double and an RBI.
Mary Frances Ellis also had two hits and
Emma Bell and
Madalyn Melton each added one RBI.
Avery Holland started the game going 1.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits with one walk.
Hannah Benavides provided an effective relief effort, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings without allowing a hit as she struck out seven batters, walked one moving to 9-1 on the year.
ETBU opened the game with a strong start in the first inning, as Cummings hit a two-run homer, driving in Maddox for a 2-0 lead. Hardin-Simmons responded in the second inning, scoring four runs with a two-RBI single and a double for a RBI. ETBU maintained pressure on HSU, highlighted by Stum's RBI double in the third, narrowing the gap to 4–3.
In the fourth inning, the Tigers tied the game at 4–4, as
Izabella Morales scored on a sacrifice fly by Melton. The fifth inning saw ETBU regain the lead with Pyle hitting a solo home run, followed by another run scored by Ellis on a Bell groundout, pushing the lead to 6–4. The sixth inning added insurance for the Tigers with Jones scoring on a double by Pyle, extending the lead to 7–4.
ETBU's defense held firm through the later innings as Benavides retired the side in the fifth and sixth innings and striking out one in the seventh inning. Overall, she retired the side in the third, fifth, and sixth innings.
ETBU will face LeTourneau University on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the ASC Championship game.
Top Performers
Tauryn Cummings
- 1 home run
- 2 RBIs
- 2 walks
Mallory Pyle
- 1 home run
- 2 RBIs
- 1 double
Hannah Benavides
- 5 1/3 innings pitched
- 7 strikeouts
- 0 earned runs
