'Roo Baseball Earns Split with ETBU

The Austin College baseball team split its doubleheader against East Texas Baptist on Tuesday, falling 4-0 in game one before getting a 10-9 walk-off victory in extra innings in game two. The 'Roos are now 7-17 overall and have won four of their last five games. 

In game one the 'Roos were shut down all game by ETBU pitcher TJ Barnes, who went the distance and allowed just two hits while striking out nine to earn the win. The Tigers opened up the scoring with a run in the third and added two in the fourth, and an insurance run in the sixth made it a 4-0 final. 

Shane Williams and Todd Takabuki had the two hits for Austin College while Andy Renz took the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits with six walks. 

In game two the 'Roos jumped out to a quick lead when Austin Vaughan and Josh Coughennower led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back doubles to make it 1-0, and the 'Roos would plate three more runs in the bottom of the second to make it a 4-0 game. Vaughan and Tyler Appelquist each had an RBI in the inning. 

ETBU would get two runs back in the top of the third to cut the margin in half, and the score would stay that way until the fifth inning when the Tigers plated four runs to take a 6-4 lead. Coughennower singled home a run in the sixth to trim it to a one run game, but ETBU would add two more runs in the top of the seventh to make it 8-5 with the 'Roos coming to the plate for their final at-bat. 

After Will Schommer drove in a run to make it 8-6, Todd Takabuki roped a pinch hit, two run double into right center with two outs to square things up and send the game into extras. ETBU's Garret Parsons led off the eighth with a triple and scored on a Ben Beltran sacrifice fly to make it a 9-8 game heading into the bottom half of the inning. 

Mason Leech brought home Coughennower with a single to tie things up, and after pinch runner Patrick Renz got to third on a wild pitch, Dylan Day delivered the walk-off victory with a base hit into right center. 

Coughennower went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Leech went 3-for-5, while Alan Parrent went 2-for-3 to lead the 'Roos offensively. Colt Herron earned the win in relief, surrendering four runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings of work and striking out three. 

Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

About Austin College 

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope's influential book Colleges that Change Lives.