MARSHALL, Texas – Winning back-to-back American Southwest Conference Tournament Championships, No. 16/21 East Texas Baptist University came from behind and held off Hardin-Simmons University, 5-3, for their third championship in four years. ETBU's pitching staff recorded 12 strikeouts as the offense belted four home runs.
"Our entire conference played really good baseball all weekend and we knew this wasn't going to be given to us and we were going to have to go out there and earn it," said head coach
Jared Hood. "This was definitely earned today as Hardin-Simmons played a great ballgame and gave us fits and we just happened to come out on top."
ETBU had just six hits on the day as four were home runs by
Joaquin Costa,
Jobee Boone,
Brody Tewers, and
Kahne Nolen. Tewers scored twice and Nolen tallied two RBIs.
Cody Myers pitched four innings for the Tigers, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out four for the no decision. Connor Smeltzer entered in relief to earn the win, pitching five innings and allowing just four hits with eight strikeouts, securing his fourth victory of the season.
Hardin-Simmons took an early lead with two runs in the second inning. One came in on a wild pitch followed by a single for a RBI to make it 2-0. ETBU responded in the fourth inning with a power surge. Boone hit a solo home run to put the team on the board. Nolen added a two-run homer, bringing in Tewers who had walked, for the 3-2 lead.
In the fifth inning, Hardin-Simmons' had a double to bring in run and tie the game a three. The Tigers regained the lead in the bottom half when Costa hit a solo home run for the 4-3 advantage after five innings.
Tewers extended ETBU's lead with a solo home run in the eighth inning for a two-run cushion, 5-3. Smeltzer struck out three of the final seven batters faced in the eighth and ninth inning, including the final two batters of the game for the championship win.
ETBU will now wait until Monday, May 11, to see where they will go in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
ETBU Top Performers
Joaquin Costa
- 1 home run
- 1 run
- 1 RBI
Jobee Boone
- 1 home run
- 1 run
- 1 RBI
Brody Tewers
- 1 home run
- 2 runs
- 1 RBI
Kahne Nolen
- 1 home run
- 1 run
- 2 RBIs
Conner Smeltzer
- 5 innings pitched
- 8 strikeouts
- 4 hits allowed
