LONGVIEW, Texas –Clutch hitting with two outs would be the difference in the game as the LeTourneau University baseball team would score four runs in the bottom of the second with three runs coming with two as the YellowJackets won their 2018 home opener over East Texas Baptist University by a final of 6-4 at Conrad-Vernon Field in Longview, Texas on Monday, February 19th.
 
LeTourneau improves to 3-3 overall with the victory and avenges Friday's 2-1 road loss at ETBU while the Tigers fell to 6-4 overall as Monday's game was a non-conference game.
 
"One thing we talked about at the end of the game was our aggressiveness on the base paths tonight" said head coach Robin Harriss in a post-game interview. "We had a few clutch hits with a solo home run and base hit to right field by Carson Dickey that brought in the runners." "We still need to do better with two strikes and be able to put the ball in play, but those are things that we will work on this week." "We played a little looser and a little more relaxed and I think playing at home was the key to that."
 
Each team would collect 10 hits in the game, but it would LETU that would find a way to collect the hits when it mattered most, scoring five of their six runs with two outs while only stranding four runners. East Texas Baptist would manage to strand a total of nine runners in the game, and make two costly errors that led to four unearned runs.
 
Offensively, the YellowJackets had five players all collect two hits each, with junior Bubba Valdez delivering a big solo home run in the bottom of the first which was LETU's only extra-base hit of the game.  Dickey would drive in one run as part of his two-hit performance. Gonzalo Sosa led the YellowJackets with a two-for-three performance at the plate while also driving in two runs.
 
Sophomore Luke Ludwig went a season-high six innings for LeTourneau, earning his second win of the year after allowing just three runs on five hits and striking out five batters. Kolton Eberlan relieved Ludwig and threw two innings while allowing one run on five hits before Ryder Lognion picked up his first save of the year with one shutout inning of work.
 
A leadoff triple to open up the game would immediately put pressure on LETU, with a walk putting runners on the corners with no outs and the Tigers looking to score early. Following a strikeout, East Texas Baptist would call for the double-steal and pull it off successfully which would bring home the first run of the game. ETBU would manage to score one more run in the inning and take a 2-0 lead after half an inning of play.
 
It would appear as though ETBU would take a 2-0 lead after one inning of play with the first two YellowJacket batters in the bottom of the first recording two quick outs, but Valdez would have other plans with a solo home run that got LETU on the board and cut the Tiger lead in half.
 
A one-two-three second inning would bring LETU back up to bat in quick fashion, with LeTourneau taking full advantage of momentum built up in the top of the second. Following a Lee Hosie infield single, LETU would use a one-out Jacob Jones walk followed by a Weston McKinley walk to load the bases with just one out in the inning. ETBU would get a grounder to third base and attempt to throw out Hosie at home, but the throw would be off the mark and allow the YellowJackets to tie the game at two and keep the bases loaded with just one out. Following a foul out by Eli Birriel, Sosa would deliver with a two-RBI single to left field and force a Tiger pitching change as LETU would go up by a score of 4-2. LeTourneau would then cap off a four-run fourth with an error by the East Texas Baptist second baseman which would allow another run to score.
 
Pitching would settle in similar to Friday following the first two innings of play, with ETBU scratching across a run off a leadoff double to start the top of the fourth, but it would be tough sledding through the middle portion of the game for both teams as no other real opportunities would present themselves. LeTourneau would manage to get the run back in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out single by Dickey to drive in Noah Mahoney would get aboard following a fielder's choice on a bunt, but the inning would end on the base paths as Hosie would be thrown out at home trying to score a run on a double-steal.
 
Scoring would once again stall until the top of the eighth inning when LeTourneau would send out Eberlan for his third inning of work, but give up a leadoff double and one out single to put runners on the corners with game-tying run coming up to bat. Eberlan managed to get out of the jam while only allowing one run on an RBI single by striking out pinch-hitter Mason Aldredge and getting pinch-hitter Cameron Kneel to fly out and end the inning.
 
With no real offensive threat present in the bottom of the eighth for LETU, the YellowJackets would make a call to the bullpen following a leadoff single surrendered by Eberlan, bringing in Lognion to close out the game. The junior would strike out the first two batters he faced before issuing a walk to put the tying runner aboard, but a ground out would end the game with the YellowJackets coming out on top.
 
More non-conference action awaits LETU, with LeTourneau heading to Kerrville, Texas to take on Schreiner University in a three-game set starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 23rd.