GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas –
Bret Leiferman's fifth-inning two-run triple gave the Concordia Texas baseball team their first lead of the day and they never looked back, defeating Hendrix 7-4 on Saturday in the second day of the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Collegiate Classic at Air Hog Stadium.
The Tornados fell behind early for the second straight game, but were unfazed, scoring a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and breaking the game open in the sixth with a four-run inning.
Calvin Bush, who tied the school's single-season strikeout record last season with 110 punchouts, was shaky in his first start of 2020. He carved out five innings of work, allowing only two runs on one hit, but hit five Warrior hitters. He finished his outing with six total strikeouts to earn his first win of the season.
Hendrix opened the game's scoring with a run in the second on an Andrei Stoyanow RBI double into left center.
Concordia Texas responded with a run in the fourth inning as
Ryan Clouse laid a sac bunt down the first base line, scoring
Owen Hill to even the game at 1-all.
The Warriors though, went back on top in the bottom half of the inning after Bush hit three batters and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.
The Tornados did not trail for long though as
Casen Novak, the hero of Friday's extra inning win over Methodist, led off the fifth with a walk.
Marcus Thach followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Leiferman brought both runners home on a two-run triple to left center and put CTX on top 3-2.
In the following frame, the Tornados broke the game open with a four-run inning.
Concordia Texas loaded the bases with one out and added to their lead after a Hendrix wild pitch. Thach followed up with an RBI bunt single to score
Dalton Watts. After Leiferman worked a walk to reload the bases,
Owen Hill's infield single scored the Tornados' third run of the inning.
Corbin Cross' ensuing ground out scored CTX's final run of the day, bringing home Thach from third, to make it 7-2.
Diego Cruz-Garcia came in relief of Bush in the bottom half of the sixth and closed out the game for the Tornados.
The Austin, Texas native tossed four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and struck out six batters, earning his first save of the season as CTX defeated the Warriors 7-4.
Thach finished the day with a 2-for-5 performance at the plate, scoring twice and driving in a run, while Leiferman, Hill and Cross each recorded a hit and at least one RBI for the game.
Jayden Hernandez, meanwhile, in his first start of the season tallied a pair of hits.
The Tornados will look to complete a weekend sweep when they face George Fox on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final day of the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Collegiate Classic in Grand Prairie, Texas.
