BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Concordia Texas baseball team opened their season in thrilling fashion, coming back from a six-run deficit as Mason Dubois provided the game-winning hit in extra innings and the team split a doubleheader against Howard Payne on Friday.
In the first game, the Tornados trailed through the first six frames. In their final at-bat, they pushed put up seven runs in their final at-bat to take a one-run lead and defeated the Yellow Jackets in extra innings, walking away with a 13-12 victory on Dubois's game-winning RBI single.
Howard Payne opened the scoring with a run in the first and two more in the second before CTX scored their first run of the season on
Dalton Watts' sac fly.
The Tornados tacked on two more runs in the fourth and sixth innings and trailed 6-5 going into the bottom of the sixth. The Yellow Jackets countered with a five-spot in the bottom of the frame to go up 11-5.
Concordia Texas did not go down without a fight though, plating seven runs in the seventh inning to take their first lead of the game at 12-11.
The first three Tornados reached base, including an RBI double from
Grayson Lee, scoring Watt from first. Two outs later,
Otto Franz was hit by a pitch to load the bases, trailing 11-6. Dubois reached on a hit by pitch as well, scoring Lee.
Sterling Stephens followed with an RBI infield single and two more runs came home on RBI walks from
Aaron Gomez and Watts.
Lee, in his second at-bat of the inning, ripped a two-run single up the middle and CTX went in front.
Howard Payne tied it up with a run in the bottom half of the frame and the teams headed to extras.
The Tornados continued their offensive barrage as
Christian Padilla led off with a double and came around to score the winning run on Dubois' single.
Lee finished the game with a 3-hit performance, driving in the three runs, while Dubois had a pair of hits, two runs scored and drove in three runs as well.
Meanwhile,
Michael Smith picked up the win in relief, stranding the game-tying run at second with a strikeout to end the game as CTX won it 13-12.
In game two of the afternoon, the Tornados' bats struggled at the plate, amounting only three hits.
Otto Franz was efficient on the mound for CTX, striking out eight batters in four innings of work, but gave up three runs on three hits.
Howard Payne tacked on three more runs in the sixth, building a 6-0 lead.
The Tornados rallied in the top half of the seventh, loading the bases with one out thanks to a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. One later, CTX scored their lone run of the game on a wild pitch, but it was all they could afford as Lee flew out to left to end the game, falling 6-1.
EJ Sanchez led the team with a pair of hits, while Watts had a hit, a walk and a run scored for the game.
The Tornados will go for the series win on Saturday, facing the Yellow Jackets at 1 p.m. from Don Shepard Park in Brownwood, Texas.
