April 30, 2016
ASC TOURNAMENT: TYLER, Texas (4/30/16) – With a dominant pitching performance, incredible hitting, and outstanding defense, the East Texas Baptist University softball team (33-8) upset #1 Texas-Tyler, 6-1, to advance to the American Southwest Conference championship. This win not only ended a 33-game-winning streak for UTT as well as it gave them their first loss at home all season. This will be the fourth year in a row that ETBU will be playing for an ASC championship winning it last in 2013.
For ETBU, Jayme Perez, Lacey Lindsey (RBI, HR), and Jessica Bowden (2 RBI) led the way offensively with two hits each while Alexis Padilla had three RBI on a three-run homer. Linzie Lewis and Lindsey would each score two runs in the game. Kelly Jo McLendon would go the distance in her 13th win with a complete game allowing one run on four hits and three strikeouts.
ETBU’s offense jumped on UTT’s Kelsie Batten as an RBI by Bowden and a three run homer by Padilla gave ETBU a 4-0 lead in the first inning. After holding the Patriots 1-2-3 in the first, McLendon would surrender a run in the second on an RBI single. But she would get out of a bases loaded jam to finish the second inning. Lindsey led off the third with a monster solo shot to left near the foul pole and ETBU had a 5-1 lead. In the fourth, ETBU would add to their lead with another RBI single by Bowden.
McLendon would be helped by great defense behind her including groundout plays by Bowden and Kaitlyn Hollingshead. After getting out of a jam in the fourth, McLendon retired eight straight batters before recording the final two outs to secure the win.
ETBU will play in the championship game tomorrow (Sunday) at 2:00 pm. They will play the winner of the UTT & UTD game which starts at 11:00 a.m. If ETBU wins their first game, they will win the ASC conference tournament. But if ETBU loses, they will play one more game to decide the conference champion.
The championship game can be heard on the ETBU Sports Net by clicking on the Game Day page at www.goetbutigers.com.