AUSTIN, Texas – Late-inning magic lifted the Concordia Texas baseball team to a win in the series opener, but they ultimately split the doubleheader with Howard Payne on Saturday.
Game one was locked in a 4-4 tie from the third inning on, but the Tornados strung together three two-out hits and
Marcus Thach scampered home on a wild pitch, scoring the walk-off run and giving CTX a 5-4 win in the first game of the day.
Daniel Lewis was credited with the win after throwing the final 1.1 innings of the game, giving up no runs and striking out two.
Easton Migl also had a strong outing out of the bullpen, suffering no runs and just four hits in 4.2 innings of work, punching out seven along the way.
The Yellow Jackets plated the first run of the game, delivering an RBI single after two hit batsmen reached base. After the top half of the first inning, HPU led 1-0.
The Tornados answered in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs on four hits and an HPU error.
Brandon Goynes led things off with a two-bagger to right field, advancing to third after
Casen Novak laid down a bunt single, and
Bret Leiferman grounded into a double play but drove Goynes in to tie the game. Next,
Grayson Lee got things going again with a double of his own and scored on an error, giving the Tornados a 2-1 lead with one inning in the books.
In the second inning, Howard Payne loaded the bases after working a pair walks and legging out an infield single, and two hit batsmen followed, bringing home two HPU runs. Another infield single drove in an additional run, and the Yellow Jackets took a 4-2 lead.
Concordia Texas cut into the deficit in the bottom half of the inning after Goynes was hit with a 2-0 pitch and stole second, setting up an RBI single from Novak. After two innings, the Tornados trailed 4-3.
In the bottom of the third, the Tornados tied the game. Leiferman led the frame off with a double, and
Owen Hill followed with an RBI single. The game was locked in a 4-4 tie heading into the fourth inning.
Neither team was able to plate a go-ahead run for three innings, but CTX broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh and final inning. After two quick outs,
Marcus Thach, Hill, and Mason Dubois loaded the bases with three straight singles, and a wild pitch brought Thach home for the game-winning run. The Tornados took game one 5-4 in walk-off fashion.
In game two, CTX was unable to get the offense going, and a five-run seventh inning from the Yellow Jackets put the game away. The Tornados dropped he second game of the doubleheader 7-2.
Colton Hunter, despite earning the loss, had a strong outing, scattering seven hits and allowing only two runs over four innings of work, striking out four along the way.
After two scoreless frames to start the contest, Howard Payne struck first with a solo homerun in the top of the third, giving the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead.
Howard Payne added another run to the scoreboard in the fourth, producing a score on sacrifice fly. After three and a half innings, CTX trailed 2-0.
The Tornados pushed across their first run in the bottom of the sixth after Leiferman singled and
Corbin Cross, Hill, and
EJ Sanchez worked three straight walks, Sanchez earning an RBI on his. Heading into the seventh inning, the Tornados trailed 2-1.
Howard Payne exploded for a five-run seventh inning, providing five hits and taking advantage of an error. With this offensive outburst, the Yellow Jackets took a 7-1 lead.
In the bottom half of the seventh,
Brandon Goynes delivered his second double of the day and completed his trip around the bases after two wild pitches, bringing the score to 7-2 heading into the eighth inning.
The Tornados had one final chance for some magic in the ninth inning, but a ground ball double play and a strikeout ended the day. Concordia Texas fell 7-2 in the second game of the doubleheader.
Sanchez had a 3-for-5 day at the plate, as well as adding an RBI, and Leiferman had three hits, an RBI, and two runs scored. Hill also had a productive day, finishing 3-for-6 with an RBI.
The Tornados will play the rubber match of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m., facing off with Howard Payne at Tornado Field in Austin, Texas to decide the series winner.
