AUSTIN, Texas – A 10-run second-inning by host Concordia University Texas would break open a 3-1 game as the LeTourneau University baseball team would fall by a final score of 16-7 in the opening game of the 2019 American Southwest Conference Baseball Tournament Gold Bracket Series at Tornado Field in Austin, Texas on Thursday, May 9th.
LETU falls to 24-20 overall on the season and into a 1-0 hole in the best-of-three series while the Tornadoes are 33-10 overall and just one win away from clinching the ASC Tournament Title.
The YellowJackets would put together five hits in the top of the first inning including three with two outs as
Kyle Guevara and
Cody Lee delivered with big hits to drive in a total of three runs as LeTourneau would jump out to a 3-0 lead. A fielding error and walk with two outs would allow CTX to extend their half of the first inning as the Tornadoes would manage to get on the board with one unearned run.
LETU would strand a leadoff single in the top of the second before seeing Concordia put together a large two-out rally thanks in part to two costly errors as 10 runs would score on six two-out hits to allow the Tornadoes to take an 11-3 lead after two innings of action. With a tall task ahead of them, LeTourneau would chip away at the deficit in the third and fourth innings by pushing across two runs in each inning while holding CTX scoreless which would send the game to the top of the fifth with the once eight-run deficit cut in half at 11-7.
After going down in order in the top of the fifth, LeTourneau would see Concordia add three runs on two hits and walk to double up the YellowJackets at 14-7 as things would finally settle in defensively. The score would remain a seven-run deficit until the bottom of the eighth as CTX managed to push across two final runs in the inning to put the final margin at 16-7.
Bryce Brueggemeyer and
Will Bradshaw would lead LETU with two hits each as the duo would combine to score three runs. Guevara and Lee each drove in a pair of runs as the YellowJackets would strand just five runners but get only one extra-base hit in the contest. Concordia's 16 runs would come on 13 hits and three LETU errors as only 6 of the 16 runs would be earned. Outside of a 10-run second inning where all 10 runs would be unearned on seven hits, LeTourneau would outhit the Tornadoes 9-6.
What's Next?
LETU and CTX will be back in action tomorrow for game two in the ASC Tournament Gold Bracket Championship best-of-three series. Due to forecasted weather in and around the Austin area, game two of the series has been moved up from a 6 p.m. start to a 2 p.m. start at Tornado Field. LeTourneau will be the home team in the contest as the YellowJackets will look to force a winner-take-all game three on Saturday.
