ETBU Erupts for 21 Runs in 2013 Home Opener

BASEBALL: MARSHALL, Texas (2/19/13) – Erupting for 21 runs on 21 hits in their 2013 home opener, East Texas Baptist University’s bats were on fire as they ambushed Austin College, 21-4. ETBU scored all of their runs in the first five innings of the game giving freshman Jimmy Russo his first collegiate win.

After only scoring one run in the first, ETBU put up five runs in the second and 10 runs in the third of ra 16-2 lead. They then added three in the fourth and two in the fifth for a 21-3 lead.

Seven players had two or more hits on the night as Phillip Windham posted three hits for two RBI. Garrett Parsons, who had two hits, led the team with four RBI. Also posting two hits were Jeremy Pinder, Chris Abascal, Wesley Schoon, Nick Grizzell, and Matty Sullivan.

Lance Anding followed Parson’s four RBI with three RBI of his own. Pinder, Windham, and Grizzell each had two RBI. Tyler Bates, Ben Beltran, Abascal, and Sullivan had one RBI each.

Jimmy Russo started the game and went five innings for his first collegiate win. He recorded two strikeouts and held Austin College to four hits and three earned runs. Trevor Bass followed with one inning of work as one unearned run scored. Cody Pruitt worked two innings with two strikeouts and no runs while Luke Pinkard finished the ninth inning allowing no runs or hits with one strikeout.

Parsons brought in the first run of the game in the first inning with a triple that scored Pinder to make it 1-0. In the second inning, Anding hit in a RBI with a single to left centerfield and Pinder followed with a double to score two more runs. He then came in on an error two batters later to make it 5-0. Parsons then became the fifth run of the inning when he touched home on a wild pitch.

ETBU broke the game open in the third inning with 10 runs. Sullivan batted in the first run of the inning. Three batters later, with the bases loaded now, Bates walked to earn an RBI. Parsons picked up three of his four RBI following Bates with a double down the left field line as he cleared the bases putting the run total at five in the inning. Windham then singled in Parsons for an 11-2 lead and and came in later on an error for the seventh run. Two batters later Grizzell doubled in Jacob Simons for the eighth run of the inning and then Abascal became the ninth run on a wild pitch. Anding rounded out the scoring on a ground out as Grizzell was the final run of the inning for a 16-2 lead.

Abascal was credited for an RBI in the fourth inning when the Austin College catcher interfered on the at-bat as the bases were loaded bringing in Bates. Grizzell was then walked right after Bates with the bases still loaded for a RBI and two batters later Anding was walked for third run of the inning.

Windham doubled in the 20th run of the game in the fifth inning as Chris Bearden came in. Ben Beltran finished the scoring for ETBU with a single up the middle as Windham became the 21st run of the game.

ETBU travels to Abilene, Texas, this weekend for a three-game series with Hardin-Simmons in an American Southwest Conference crossover series.

Windham Named ASC Hitter of the Week

BASEBALL: RICHARDSON, Texas (2/19/13) – Phillip Windham has earned East Texas Baptist University’s first award this year in baseball being named the American Southwest Conference East Hitter of the Week. Windham was a key part in ETBU’s wins over Schreiner University.

Windham batted .556 on the week going 5-for-9 with five RBI, a double, and a home run. He also scored three of the five times he reached base.

On Friday, he singled in the go ahead run to put ETBU up, 6-5, in the fourth inning as ETBU went on for an 8-7 win. He then sacrificed his at-bat in the first game on Saturday with a fly out to score the go-ahead run, 3-2, over Schreiner in the fifth inning. He then gave ETBU an insurance run in the seventh inning with his second home run of the year. In the first two games of the series, he had four hits for four RBI.

ETBU is now 3-2 on the year under new coach Lee Driggers and has their first home game on Tuesday, February 19th, at 6:00 p.m. vs. Austin College.