GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – A three-run third inning for the LeTourneau University baseball team would be negated by a seven-run fourth and five-run fifth in a 14-5 loss to Texas Lutheran University at the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Classic at AirHogs Stadium in Grand Prairie, TX on Saturday, February 10
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The loss puts LETU at 1-1 this season with both games coming in Grand Prairie while the Bulldogs improved to 5-0 with the win.
Cold and windy conditions made for issues throughout the game as both teams combined for a total of 12 errors while collecting a total of 14 hits in the game. TLU would jump out to a 2-0 lead after half an inning of play as a one-out single and walk gave the Bulldogs two runners on. A wild pitch moved both runners over before being followed up by a sacrifice fly and fielding error before a groundout ended the inning.
Things would stay at 2-0 in favor of Texas Lutheran until the bottom of the third inning when the YellowJackets collected three hits and used two TLU errors to plate three runs and take their first and only lead of the game.
Brandon Ramirez would lead off the inning with a double which would be followed up by an
Eli Birriel one-out single. A double-steal allowed for Birriel to take second and Ramirez to come home and get LeTourneau on the board and cut into the Bulldog lead. A throwing error and a
Bubba Valdez single to center brought home two more runs before the inning would end with a
Gonzalo Sosa groundout.
The wheels would come off the wagon for LETU in the top of the fourth as TLU would take advantage of two hit batsmen and three free passes issued by the YellowJacket pitching staff, adding in a pair of hits while bring across seven runs in the inning (four unearned). With the momentum swung back into the favor of TLU, LeTourneau would only get one baserunner in their half of the fourth before seeing things go from bad to worse as two hits and two errors in the top half of the fifth would lead to five more Texas Lutheran runs.
LETU would add a run in the sixth inning as a
Noah Mahoney one out double and two out throwing error brought the junior around to score, but more would be needed for LETU to get back into the game. The only other run of the game would come in the bottom of the ninth inning with a pair of TLU errors allowing for Ramirez to reach base before coming around to score with two outs.
Birriel and Valdez would be the LeTourneau leaders at the plate with each collecting two hits while Valdez drove in LETU's only RBI of the game. Mahoney and Ramirez each had an extra-base hit in the game despite seeing the YellowJackets strike out 10 times.
Bryce Brueggemeyer would take the pitching decision in the game, falling to 0-1 after throwing 3.1 innings and allowing seven runs (four earned) on two hits and walking two.
Kolton Eberlan threw one inning of work for LETU with
Kolbey Sharpe (0.1 innings) and
Nate Hoelker (4.1 innings) also seeing work on the mound.
Tomorrow will feature an afternoon game for the YellowJackets with a non-conference game against Hardin-Simmons University closing out the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Classic in Grand Prairie. Hardin-Simmons will provide a live stats feed, which can be found on the LETU website in the morning.
