RICHARDSON, Texas – Colton Hunter and Otto Franz turned in a pair of stellar performances on mound, lifting the Concordia Texas baseball team to two wins in the American Southwest Conference Tournament blue bracket on Friday to avoid elimination and secure a spot in the blue bracket championship.
 
Hunter, the game one starter, picked up the win after tossing eight innings of one-run baseball. The senior scattered six hits and struck out nine, going the distance in an eight-inning run rule victory over LeTourneau.
 
Franz got the nod for game two, picking up his second win of the season after pitching 7.2 innings and allowing only one run. The freshman performed in his first career start, striking out five and propelling the Tornados to a victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
In game one, the Tornados paired Hunter's performance on the hill with Owen Hill's career-high seven RBI, four of them coming when he belted a grand slam in the third inning to break the game open early. Hill's seventh RBI walked the game off, giving the Tornados an 11-1 run-rule victory in the eighth inning over the Yellow Jackets.
 
The Tornados' bats were hot out of the gate, plating three runs in the first inning to jump out to an early lead. EJ Sanchez got things started with a one-out single and Bret Leiferman followed with a double in the right-center gap, putting runners on second and third for an RBI single off the bat of Corbin Cross. Next, Grayson Lee came through with a single of his own, setting the table for Hill's first two RBI of the game as he doubled to right center. After the opening frame, the Tornados led 3-0.
 
After a scoreless second inning, CTX exploded for a five-run third inning. Leiferman led off by reaching base on an error, Cross followed with a single, and Lee reached on a fielder's choice without an out recorded on the play. Next, Hill came to the dish with the bases loaded and provided four runs on one swing, blasting a grand slam over the left field wall. Dalton Watts reached on a walk to follow, eventually completing his trip around the bases on an RBI single from Casen Novak. With three innings in the book, CTX held an 8-0 lead.
 
In the fourth inning, back-to-back singles from Leiferman and Cross set up a sacrifice fly from Lee, adding another run to CTX's total and bringing the score to 9-0.
 
In the following frame, LETU scored their only run of the game after four straight singles before Hunter forced a pop out and struck out the next two batters, ending the Yellow Jackets' scoring threat. Heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Tornados led 9-1.
 
Concordia Texas answered in the bottom half of the frame as Novak reached base on a fielder's choice and eventually came home on a wild pitch, extending the Tornados lead to 10-1.
 
The Tornados ended the game early in the bottom of the eighth when Cross led off with a single and Marcus Thach, who pinch ran for Cross, scored on a single up the middle from Hill. Concordia Texas won the first game of the day in dominant fashion, employing the ten-run rule to defeat LeTourneau 11-1 and stay alive in the ASC Tournament.
 
In game two, CTX received another great outing on the mound, this time from Franz, and Chris Varljen provided two hits and three RBI. Timely hitting saw the Tornados win their second game of the day, coming out on top 6-1 over Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
After a scoreless first inning, the Tornados put the first run of the game on the board in the second. Dalton Watts delivered a one-out single and Ryan Clouse executed a sacrifice bunt, putting Watts in scoring position for an RBI single from Varljen and giving CTX a 1-0 lead.
 
In the third inning, CTX added two more runs on a pair of RBI singles from Lee and Watts, extending their lead to 3-0.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor's only run of the game in the top of the fifth as two straight hits were followed by an RBI groundout, bringing the score to 3-1.
 
The Tornados answered in the following frame when a pair of two-out walks from Watts and Clouse led to a bases-clearing triple from Varljen, giving him his second and third RBI of the game. After five, CTX held a 5-1 advantage.
 
Looking for some extra insurance in the eighth inning, Leiferman and Cross provided back-to-back two out singles and Hill brought the former home on an RBI single, giving the Tornados a 6-1 lead heading into the final frame.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor opened he ninth inning with a single, but Daniel Lewis slammed the door shut by retiring the next three hitters in order. The Tornados secured their second win of the day over UMHB 6-1, once again avoiding elimination and earning a spot in the blue bracket championship on Saturday.
 
Concordia Texas will look to keep the magic alive on Saturday and take two games against UT Dallas to advance to the ASC Tournament gold bracket series and compete for the conference championship, starting with a game at 1 p.m. at UT Dallas Baseball Field. If the Tornados prevail in game one, another game will follow to decide the blue bracket champion.