LONGVIEW, Texas –
Otto Franz turned in a complete-game performance on the mound, leading the Concordia Texas baseball team to a win in the first match of the day, and they split the doubleheader with LeTourneau on Saturday.
Franz scattered five hits and allowed only one run, striking out five along the way to his second win of the year.
After winning the opening game 6-1, the Tornados could not come away victorious in the decisive series finale, dropping game three 7-6 and losing the series.
In the first game of the day, Franz's dominant performance kept the Tornados in the game long enough to break through for a four-run sixth inning and seal the win.
After two scoreless innings, LeTourneau plated the first run in the third inning with an RBI single, taking a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth inning,
Kaden Kleinert drove in Mason Dubois with a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 1-1.
The Tornados broke the game open in the sixth inning, beginning with back-to-back one out knocks from Kleinert and
EJ Sanchez. After a double steal,
Mac Surles, who came in as a pinch runner, scored on an errant throw from the LETU catcher.
Later in the inning,
Shawn Huber,
Dalton Watts, and Dubois worked three straight bases-loaded RBI walks, lifting Concordia Texas to a 5-1 lead.
With one more chance to add some insurance,
Aaron San Miguel provided an RBI squeeze bunt, extending the CTX lead to 6-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Franz worked around a walk to shut the door in the seventh, securing the complete-game victory in the opener.
In the finale, the Tornados jumped out to an early lead, but LETU pushed across three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Ultimately, the Tornados were unable to overcome two big innings, and they fell 7-6.
Dubois went 3-for-4 at the dish with one RBI and one run scored, and Huber picked up two hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
Michael Smith turned in a quality outing in his first start of the season, tossing three innings of one-run baseball and striking out five along the way.
The Tornados opened the scoring in the top of the first as Watts and Huber registered back-to-back base knocks. Huber's single drove in Watts, and CTX took a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Concordia Texas added on to the lead as
Ian Perez came home on an LETU error and brought the score to 2-0.
LeTourneau plated their first run in the third inning, cutting the lead to 2-1 with an RBI double.
The Tornados answered in the following frame as
Sterling Stephens drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and was bunted over by
Aaron Gomez, putting him in position to score on an LETU error. After three and a half innings, CTX led 3-1.
In the top of the fifth, Perez laced an RBI single to centerfield, extending the lead to 4-1.
The Yellow Jackets erased the advantage in the bottom half, plating three runs on two hits and a pair of walks to bring the score to 4-4.
In the top of the sixth, the Tornados provided another answer with back-to-back RBI hits from Watts and Huber. Heading into the bottom of the sixth, CTX led 6-4.
LeTourneau took the game's final lead in the bottom half, pushing three runs across on two hits and taking a 7-6 advantage.
In the top of the ninth, Dubois picked up a one-out hit and stole second, but that was all for the Tornados, and they ultimately fell 7-6.
Concordia Texas will look to bounce back with a quick turnaround, hosting non-conference foe Texas Lutheran for a midweek matchup on Tuesday. The two teams will square off at Tornado Field with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
