Weekend Tiger Athletics- Baseball, Basketball & Tenns

BASKETBALL (W): LONGVIEW, Texas (2/9/13) – Playing one of their best first halves of the year, East Texas Baptist University had a 20-point lead at the half over LeTourneau University as they finished off the Yellowjackets, 73-58, for their 14th win of the year. ETBU shot over 50 percent from the floor and three-point line in the first half and finished shooting 41 percent overall. The win continues to keep ETBU’s hope alive for the ASC Tournament.

Three players finished in double figures for ETBU in April Leonard, Mary Slaughter, and Brandace Latin. Leonard led with 17 points hitting 60 percent of her shots and grabbing seven rebounds. Slaughter brought in 13 points and Latin produced 10 points. Slaughter blocked six shots and also had five rebounds. Paigen Gilford added five assists.

Shooting 50 percent from the floor and making five three-pointers for 55 percent, ETBU took over the game in the first half. LeTourneau had a 6-5 lead just three minutes into the game when ETBU went on a 27-11 run in the next 10 minutes. With 6:21 left in the half, ETBU had a 15-point, 32-17, and never looked back taking a 43-23 lead at the half.

ETBU took a 29-point lead with 6:19 left in the game on a Latin layup, 69-40. LeTourneau finished the game on a 18-4 run to cut the lead to 15 ending the game, 73-58.

ETBU finished shooting 41 percent from the floor, 38 percent from the arc, and 75 percent from the stripe. LeTourneau did not make any three-pointers in 19 tries and shot 31 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the line. ETBU forced 23 turnovers and but lost the rebounding battle, 46-42.

ETBU travels to Pineville, La., on Thursday to face the ASC East’s top team in Louisiana College at 5:30 p.m.



Mitchell Collects Career-High in Rival Loss to LeTourneau

BASKETBALL (M): LONGVIEW, Texas (2/9/13)– Junior Mitchell poured in a career-high 26 points for East Texas Baptist University (9-13/5-11) in the American Southwest Conference East rival game as LeTourneau University held off the Tigers in the final three minutes, 74-68. ETBU was within three, twice, in the final 2:54 but the go ahead bucket was not found.

Mitchell’s 26 points was his best output of the year as he went 9-of-13 from the floor making 8-of-15 shots from the line. Jaron Joseph added 13 points while Justin Felicia led the team with eight rebounds. Justin Jones led LeTourneau with 15 points.

With 2:54 left in the game, Mitchell laid in a layup to pull ETBU within three, 69-66. ETBU then did not hit a shot for the next minute missing on two possessions to try and move in front of ETBU. Felicia put ETBU back to within three, 71-68, on a layup but ETBU missed their next four free throws and LeTourneau went 2-of-4 to seal the win.

The game was tied five times and LeTourneau had as large as a nine-point lead in the second half. ETBU’s only lead came on the opening bucket on a Joseph layup before LeTourneau went on a 8-1 run for a five-point lead. With 5:10 left in the first half, ETBU was down seven, 24-17, before mounting a comeback to tie the game at 31. In that time, ETBU went on a 14-6 run as both teams went into the locker room tied.

Both teams shot 45 percent from the floor and ETBU hit 26 percent from the arc while LeTourneau made 29 percent. ETBU missed 13 free throws (16-of-29) while LeTourneau went 13-of-22 (59 percent). ETBU won the rebounding battle, 37-35.

ETBU will travel to Louisiana College on Thursday, February 14th, for a 7:30 p.m. game time in Pineville.



Phillips Earns Point for ETBU vs. Dallas Baptist

TENNIS: DALLAS, Texas (2/9/13) – Taking on NCAA Division II Dallas Baptist University in men’s tennis, East Texas Baptist University fell to the Patriots, 8-1. ETBU is now 0-2 on the year.

Luke Phillips picked up ETBU’s lone win at #5 singles with a win over Serrett, 6-2, 6-2. ETBU started off the match down 3-0 after dropping the doubles competitions. Terry Affolter and Tyler Tolopka fell in the #1 doubles, 8-5, and then Weston Godsey and Jeremy Rhodes pushed the #2 doubles match but lost, 9-8. They lost the tie breaking match, 7-5. Phillips and Nick Lazarbal dropped the #3 doubles match, 8-4.

Godsey came close to a point in singles play at #4 but DBU’s Wilson took the match, 7-6, 6-2.

ETBU will travel to Sherman, Texas, on February 15th to face Austin College.

Singles Matches

#1 Allen (DBU) def. Tyler Tolopka (ETBU), 6-0, 6-3

#2 Hilliard (DBU) def. Jeremy Rhodes (ETBU), 6-1, 6-1

#3 Burch (DBU) def. Terry Altoffer (ETBU), 6-2, 6-2

#4 Wilson (DBU) def. Weston Godsey (ETBU), 7-6, 6-2

#5 Luke Phillips (ETBU) def. Serrott (DBU), 6-2, 6-2

#6 McAllister (DBU) def. Nick Lazarbal (ETBU), 6-3, 6-4

Doubles Matches

#1 Allen/Hilliard (DBU) def. Tolopka/Altoffer (ETBU), 8-5

#2 Burch/Wilson (DBU) def. Godsey/Rhodes (ETBU), 9-8 (7-5)

#3 Serrott/McAllister (DBU) def. Phillips/Lazarbal (ETBU), 8-4



Rally in Final Two Innings Pushes ETBU to Season Opening Victory

BASEBALL: MCKINNEY, Texas (2/8/13) – Garrett Parsons earned his third hit of the day in the bottom of the ninth as he singled in the game winning run for a 9-8 win over Centenary College as East Texas Baptist University won their season opener. Jordan Brewer was awarded home plate after interference by the third baseman that gave ETBU the winning score.

Parsons, Phil Windham, and Tyler Bates all had three hits for ETBU. Bates, in his first collegiate at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, collected his first collegiate hit with a home run over the left centerfield fence. Windham also had a home run that brought in two runs. Bates and Matt Sullivan led the team with three RBI each. Parsons and Windham went 3-of-5 in their first game of the year and Bates went 3-of-4. Jeremy Pinder added two hits in the context

Ernesto Perez, in his first action on the mound as a freshman, went the final two innings to earn the win with three strikeouts. He only allowed two hits facing nine batters giving up just one overall run. Freshman Jimmy Russo started the game and went 5.1 innings with five strikeouts and two earned runs in his first collegiate outing, too. Both Matt Lefler (1.0 IP) and Cody Pruitt (0.2 IP) saw work on the mound also.

This back and forth game started off with a bang in the first inning. In the bottom of the first Bates, who was the second batter of the inning and in his first collegiate at-bat, took a swing the first pitch from Centenary’s Cole Thompson and sent it over the left centerfield fence for a 1-0 lead. Centenary bounced back with three runs in the second inning for the two-run advantage, 3-1.

Two innings later, Centenary spotted ETBU five runs as the Tigers went up, 6-3. With the bases loaded and no outs, Sullivan doubled down the left field line as he cleared the bases for a 4-3 lead. Pinder followed Sulllivan with a two-run shot to the same spot Bates put his home run as ETBU took control of the third inning, 6-3.

Centenary scored a run in the fourth and sixth innings to come within one, 6-5, and then took the lead, 7-6 with two runs in the seventh. Adding another run in the eighth, it looked as though Centenary would hold onto the lead, 8-6, but the young ETBU team fought back.

ETBU bounced back in the bottom of the eighth by scoring two runs on a Bates single to center field. Parsons and Ben Beltran both crossed the plate as the tying runs. That set up the ninth inning for the game-winning hit by Parsons as ETBU gave Lee Driggers his first win as a Tiger head coach.

In the top of the ninth, Perez continued what he started in the eighth as he retired the side with a fly out and two straight strikeouts. Windham singled to centerfield to start the bottom of the ninth and then went to second on a Nick Grizzell sacrifice bunt. Chris Abascal was walked to put two runners on with one out. After a fly out, Parsons took the first pitch from Centenary’s Taylor Henry as Brewer, who was the pinch runner for Windham, was the winning run. He was counted as the winning run because Centenary’s third baseman was called for interference as the umpire awarded Brewer home plate for the win.

ETBU finished with 14 hits and had four errors while Centenary had 12 hits and three errors.

ETBU will take on Hendrix College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in McKinney, Texas, as their second game of the year.



First Inning the Difference as ETBU Receives First Loss

BASEBALL: MCKINNEY, Texas (2/9/13) – Allowing four runs to come in the first inning was the difference in the game as Hendrix College held off East Texas Baptist University, 6-4, at the Ballparks at Craig Ranch. ETBU came back to within one, 4-3, in the fourth inning but Hendrix added two more runs in the fifth for a three-run lead. ETBU is now 1-1 on the year and faces Austin College at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the day at the Ballparks at Craig Ranch.

Jeremy Pinder led the team with three hits in four at-bats and scored one run. Lance Anding, who has a 16-game hitting streak dating back to last season, went 2-of-3 with one RBI. Tyler Bates and Matt Sullivan each had one RBI.

Zach Tampke received his first start of the year going four innings giving up eight hits and four earned runs. He walked only two batters in 23 batters faced and struck out four. Josh Stoffregen finished out the final four innings and shut out Hendrix allowing only two hits with one strikeout and one walk. Hendrix’s Nick Land went five innings for the win and Daniel Imbro received the save.

A fast start for Hendrix in the first inning was the difference in the game as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead. ETBU clawed their way back with two runs in the third and one in the fourth to pull within one.

In the third, Anding started the inning with a single through the right side and Pinder followed with a poke through the left side. Bates then brought in the first run with a double to left field as Anding came in. Sullivan’s ground out allowed Pinder to come in making the score, 4-2.

Anding singled in the third run of the game with his second hit of the game. His hit up the middle let Chris Abascal score from third bringing the lead down to one, 4-3. Hendrix answered in the fifth with two runs that put their lead to three, 6-3.

Abascal was ETBU’s fourth run in the sixth inning with two outs when he came in on a Hendrix error. With two outs and the bases loaded, ETBU had a chance to tie the game but could not get the go-ahead hit.

ETBU finished with seven hits and had four errors while Hendrix produced 10 hits and five errors.

ETBU will face Austin College tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. at the Ballparks at Craig Ranch in the final game of the Hendrix Tournament.



Baseball Cancelled vs. Austin College at Craig Ranch

BASEBALL: MCKINNEY, Texas (2/10/13) - Due to poor field conditions at the Ballparks at Craig Ranch, the baseball game vs. Austin College has been cancelled today. ETBU will next play on Friday, February 15th, in Kerrville, Texas, against Schreiner University in ASC play. ETBU is 1-1 on the year.