GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - An eight-run eighth inning rally would give the LeTourneau University baseball team a season-opening come-from-behind 10-9 victory over Willamette University at Air Hogs Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas on Friday, February 9th. 

The season-opening win moves LETU to 1-0 overall and is their first win of the opening weekend Rusty Greer/ Jackie Moore Classic in Grand Prairie. Willamette moves to 2-4 overall on the season after going 0-2 on the day with a pair of one-run losses. 

We showed a lot of perseverance tonight, but it all started with Andrew Harlan battling three more innings after a bad first inning" said head coach Robin Harriss in a post-game interview. "When Ryder Lognion came in and threw three really competitive innings, it gave us confidence every time we put a zero up on the board. "Through the sixth and seventh inning we had hit some balls really hard and we just needed something to fall." "Our guys competed at the end and that's when it counts and when it matters."

A nightmare of a start to the game saw the Bearcats jump out to a 6-0 lead after one inning of play on the YellowJackets as WU sent 10 batters to the plate and collected six hits off of LETU starter Andrew Harlan. The first three batters of the game would reach base for Willamette before a sacrifice fly drove in the first run of the game before a single and balk added a second run and put runners on second and third with one out. An RBI groundout and single made the score 4-0 in favor of the Bearcats before a triple on an 0-1 count added two more runs to cap off the six-hit inning. 

LeTourneau would not be fazed as the YellowJackets responded with a run of their own as Eli Birriel and Will Bradshaw would both reach base safely to put two runners on with no outs before a pair of fielder's choices moved Bradshaw to third. Bubba Valdez would then get into a delayed steal to allow Bradshaw to score to make the score 6-1 after one inning of play. 

Willamette responded with another run in the second inning thanks in part to two hits, but would strand a runner on second before both teams pitching staffs would get into a groove and allow for the next four and a half innings to go scoreless. The Bearcats would threaten on multiple opportunities, but would be left stranded while the YellowJackets were making good contact off the WU pitchers but could not find an opening in the defense. 

Willamette would add a run in the top of the seventh to tak an 8-1 lead as a one out walk and sacrifice bunt allowed for an RBI single to put the Bearcat lead at seven heading to the seventh-inning stretch. Chasing runs for most of the night, LETU took advantage of a new reliever for WU by having Gonzalo Sosa and Noah Mahoney lead off the inning with back to back singles before an RBI groundout by Bryce Brueggemeyer put the score at 8-2 in favor of the Bearcats. 

A one-two-three top half of the eighth gave LETU more momentum in the dugout, knowing that they were down to just six outs to make a comeback happen when the bats would finally start to come alive and find holes in the Willamette defensive setup. Following a Bradshaw strikeout, senior Carson Dickey would reach on a walk before a single and fielding error would load the bases with just one out and bring up last year's best hitter for the YellowJackets in Sosa. Sosa hit an RBI single to left field, and would see the left fielder misplay the ball to bring in two more runs and put himself on second with still just one out in the inning. Following a Mahoney Walk and Brueggemeyer single to make the score 8-6, Willamette would make another pitching change which would last all of two batters. Pinch-hitter Lee Hosie would pull LETU within one off an RBI double to left field and a four-pitch walk would force another pitching change before a wild pitch tied the game at 8-8. Dickey then broke the deadlock with a two RBI single to left field with two outs and gave LeTourneau their first lead of the night. 

Willamette would threaten in the top of the ninth, collecting an inside the park home run from the first batter of the inning before Koltan Eberlan would slam the door on the next three batters to end the game. 

Eberlan picked up the save on the night after coming on in the ninth inning while sophomore Haden Simmons earned the decision after throwing one scoreless inning. LETU used four pitchers in the game, with Harlan (4.0 innings) and Ryder Lognion (3.0 innings) also making an apperance. 

Dickey's two RBI single would be his only hit of the night, but it would be the biggest of the evening with the runs ultimately being the difference in the game. Sosa led the YellowJacekts with two hits and a walk while Brueggemeyer also collected two RBI's. 


LeTourneau will be back in action at Air Hogs Stadium tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. when the YellowJackets take on Texas Lutheran University.