KERRVILLE, Texas - Looking to win their first-three game series of the year, the LeTourneau University baseball team would use a seven-run seventh and six-run ninth inning to run away with an 18-10 victory over host Schreiner University at Bob Henry Field in Kerrville, Texas on Monday, February 26th.
The victory moves LETU to 5-4 overall on the season as the YellowJackets win the three-game set by a tally of two games to one. The Mountaineers fall to 5-9 overall with the loss.
A total of three pitchers would be used in the game by LeTourneau, with
Luke Ludwig getting the start and throwing two innings before making way for
Ryder Lognion. Lognion would go five innings strong to earn his first victory of the year, allowing four runs on two hits and striking out five before
Kolton Eberlan would come on to earn his second save of the year by throwing the final two innings of work.
It would be a group of four YellowJackets to lead the offensive charge, with
Eli Birriel,
Noah Mahoney,
Brandon Ramirez, and
Will Bradshaw each collecting three hits in the 20-hit outing for LETU. Mahoney would drive in five of the 18 LeTourneau runs, with six players driving in at least two runners each. The YellowJackets would also have eight extra-base hits, with
Jacob Jones hitting a solo home run in the fourth and Mahoney hitting a grand slam in the ninth.
Things would by no means get off to a fast start, with the score remaining 0-0 after the first two innings of play before LETU would finally break through for a run in the third. Jones would be hit by a pitch and move to third following a
Will Bradshaw single and Birriel sacrifice bunt. A
Lee Hosie sacrifice fly made the score 1-0 in favor of the YellowJackets, but Schreiner would come back and score six in the bottom of the third on five hits and two errors to take a 6-1 lead.
LETU wouldn't wait long to get right back into the game, as the first three YellowJacket batters of the top of the fourth would reach base before a double-play would clear the bases and put two outs on the board with the score 6-3 in favor of SU. Jones would add a solo home run before three more hits drove in another run to make the score 6-5 following the seven-hit inning.
The score would remain at 6-5 with the Mountaineers on top until the bottom of the sixth, with Schreiner scoring two runs on one hit and taking advantage of two hit batters and a wild pitch to make the score 8-5 heading to the final third of the game. LETU once again saw their bats come alive with six hits leading to seven runs as Mahoney,
Weston McKinley and Bradshaw all doubled in the inning with the YellowJackets sending 11 batters to the plate to take a 12-8 lead.
Following back-to-back one-two-three innings in the bottom of the seventh and top of the eighth, more fireworks would ensue as Schreiner would put their first two batters of the inning aboard and force an LETU pitching change. The pitching change would be effective despite allowing both runners to score, as LeTourneau would allow only one more base-runner in the inning and manage to hold onto the lead at 12-10.
Insurance runs and then some would be scored by LETU in the top of the ninth, using a leadoff walk followed by a Jones double to put the score at 13-10 with no outs. LeTourneau would then keep things going following a strikeout, by seeing Birriel and Hosie single in back-to-back at-bats and see that followed up by a
Gonzalo Sosa walk. Mahoney would then deliver the big blow by going deep to left field and clearing the bases which would make the score 18-10. Schreiner never would threaten to mount a comeback as the Mountaineers would go one-two-three to end the game.
American Southwest Conference play will open up on Friday evening, when the YellowJackets go to Abilene, Texas to take on Hardin-Simmons University to open up a three-game series. A single nine-inning game will take place at 6 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Saturday. LETU and HSU have met once already this season, with the YellowJackets taking an 8-4 neutral-site decision on opening weekend.
