LONGVIEW, Texas – Opening up the final weekend of regular-season play, the LeTourneau University baseball team would see a 2-0 lead evaporate in the top of the third as part of a 10-3 setback to the University of Texas-Dallas at Conrad-Vernon Field in Longview, Texas on Friday, April 26th.
LETU now sits at 20-18 overall and 9-10 overall while the Comets improve to 19-18 and 10-8 overall in the ASC.
The YellowJackets would open the scoring in the bottom of the first thanks in part to a pair of walks as
Eli Birriel and
Bryce Brueggemeyer would both draw free passes before a
Will Bradshaw RBI single put LETU up 1-0. A sacrifice fly by
Noah Mahoney would drive in the second run of the game for LeTourneau to put things at a 2-0 lead for the YellowJackets after one inning of play as the score would remain a two-run lead through two innings.
Three-straight Texas-Dallas batters managed to reach base safely to start the third inning as the Comets would cut the LETU lead to 2-1 on a single and error before tying things at 2-2 on a sacrifice fly. Another LETU error allowed UTD to take their first lead of the game at 3-2 as the Comets would go on to add on one more run in the inning and double up LeTourneau 4-2 heading to the fourth.
More crooked numbers for Texas-Dallas in the top of the fourth saw the Comets add to their lead with two runs on three hits to go up 6-2 as LeTourneau would be unable to get anything going on the offensive end and in the fourth but get back a run in the bottom of the fifth by taking advantage of two UTD errors to score
Lee Hosie and cut the lead to three.
Following a scoreless sixth and seventh inning, Texas-Dallas would add on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth by stringing together two hits and one LETU error go up 8-3 and in full control just six outs away from a series-opening victory. LeTourneau would threaten in the eighth before stranding a runner, and then see the Comets put two more runs on the board in the ninth as the seven-run margin would prove to be too much to overcome late in the game.
LeTourneau would muster just six hits in the ball game to go along with three walks as the YellowJackets stranded seven runners in the contest. Bradshaw and Hosie would lead LETU with two hits each, with the defensive side of things allowing five of the 10 runs to come across as unearned.
Jared Schurig and
Ryder Lognion would each throw four innings on the mound while
Kolbey Sharpe tossed one inning with the trio combining for seven strikeouts on the night.
What's Next?
12 seniors will play their final home games of their career tomorrow as the YellowJackets and Comets will conclude a three-game series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Conrad-Vernon Field.
