AUSTIN, Texas –
Grayson Lee reached base a total of five times with three RBIs and the Concordia Texas baseball team wrapped up non-conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Southwestern on Tuesday.
The Tornados faced off against the Pirates in a pair of seven-inning contests ahead of their final three-game series of the regular season.
In game one, after a 30-minute lightning delay prior to first pitch, the game began with SU grabbing an early 1-0 lead.
The Pirates tacked on two more runs in the third and widened their advantage to 3-0.
In the bottom half of the frame though, CTX's bats woke up, pushing across four runs to go in front.
Corbin Cross reached on a one-out single and raced around to score on Lee's RBI triple into the gap.
EJ Sanchez followed with an RBI single and the game became tied later in the inning on a bases-loaded walk worked by
Ryan Clouse.
Casen Novak reached on an error, allowing a run to score and make it 4-3.
Southwestern responded with a run in their next at-bat and tied the game at 4-all.
The Tornados countered with four runs over the next three innings and never looked back, securing an 8-4 victory.
Lee finished with a game-high three hits with two runs scored and an RBI.
Bret Leiferman had a multi-hit game too and drove in a run on an RBI double in the fifth.
Cameron Whitman picked up the win, tossing a scoreless frame in the fifth and striking out a pair.
In the second game of the night, CTX worked 10 walks as a team, reached base on six hit-batsmen and
Casen Novak had a bases-clearing three-run double in the second as the Tornados completed the sweep with a 9-6 victory.
Concordia Texas scored in every inning except the first and sixth, recording three-run outbursts in the second and fourth frames.
The Tornados loaded the bases with two outs on a walk and two hit-batters in the second. Novak followed with a double into the gap, scoring all three runs for a 3-1 edge.
Lee, who had two RBIs for the game, made it 4-1 in the third on a single up the middle to score Leiferman, who reached base all three time via walks and scored three runs.
Concordia Texas added to its lead with three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, extending their lead to 9-3.
The Pirates inched closer in the sixth with a pair of home runs to make it 9-6, but
Cage Chaney entered in the seventh and picked up the save, retiring the side with a pair of strikeouts.
The Tornados finished with only five hits, but remained patient at the plate as Novak and Leiferman each finished with two or more walks for the game. Lee and Sanchez, meanwhile, each tallied a hit and drove in a pair.
Concordia Texas will now prepare for its final regular season series, hosting Mary Hardin-Baylor. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday at 4 p.m. and conclude on Saturday with a single game at 2 p.m. at Tornado Field.
