A walk-off win in game one – 3-2 - and a season-high 12 runs – 12-6 - in game two led the LeTourneau University baseball team to a doubleheader sweep and a series sweep of Howard Payne at Conrad-Vernon Field on Saturday in Longview.
LETU (11-16, 8-10 ASC) picked up its first series sweep of the season with its fourth-straight win over its nickname partner, Howard Payne, who falls to 17-13 overall and 7-8 in the ASC.
Facing a 3-1 deficit to start the seventh inning, LETU loaded the bases on HPU starting pitcher Adrian Acosta. To load the bases, freshman
Lee Hosie reached on an infield single. Then, he moved up to second on a wild pitch; next sophomore
Rayne Hobbs walked to put runners on first and second to bring the winning run to the plate. A bunt single by junior
Carson Dickey loaded the bases to end the day for Acosta.
Then, HPU called on Zach Moseley, who got a strike out of a LETU pinchhitter. Next, freshman
Aaron Perkins drew a walk to bring in Hosie to cut the deficit to two, 3-1. A ball misplayed by the visitors hit by senior
Sean Sellers brought in Hobbs and to advance the winning run to third, tying the game at 2 with one out. Next with the bases loaded, senior
Taylor Empkey picked up a walk to plate Dickey for the winning run.
The walk-off win made a winner of senior
Boone Privette (pictured), who had one of the best outings of his career. He struck out 12 in the complete game allowed just six hits – only one for extra bases to even his record at 1-1 on the season and lower his ERA to 4.00. For Privette, it is his second game on the season with double-digit strikeouts – earlier this year he had 10 against Louisiana College on April 1.
After an exciting win in game one, LETU came out with the offensive fireworks in the nightcap. Despite an early 1-0 deficit, LeTourneau scored the next 11 runs to give first-time starter freshman
Walker Blake plenty of support.
LETU sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning for an early 6-0 lead. A pair of the runs came in on a two-run home run by junior
Kyle Jacobs and two more came in when HPU made an error on a ball hit by senior
Sean Sellers. LETU extended the lead to 11-1 in the third inning with five runs on four hits. In the inning, senior
Taylor Empkey had a two-RBI single to lead the attack.
Howard Payne got back on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to cut the LeTourneau lead to 11-2. Then, after Blake left the game in the fifth inning, HPU picked up four runs on three hits. Empkey picked up his third RBI of the nightcap with a RBI single in the seventh for a 12-5 lead in favor of LeTourneau.
Offensively for LeTourneau, Sellers went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI; plus Empkey went 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI. In addition, Jacobs and
Jacob Simmons each had a pair of RBI. On the mound, Blake pitched five innings in his first start, scattering seven hits and two runs (one earned) and striking out three in the win. Senior
Josh Gimre was the third and final pitcher for LeTourneau, pitching the final three innings and allowing just one hit and striking out one to end the contest.
For Howard Payne, Cliff Lunceford was one of four players with multiple hits including a team-high three in the loss to go along with two RBI.
Next, LeTourneau will host Texas College at Conrad-Vernon Field on Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. in a non-conference game.
