Miscues Cost 'Roos Against LeTourneau

SHERMAN, Texas – The Austin College baseball team held a 7-5 lead going into the eighth inning, but a series of miscues helped LeTourneau plate nine runs in the frame as the Yellow Jackets topped the 'Roos 16-8 on Tuesday night at Baker Field. The 'Roos are now 7-18 overall after the non-conference defeat.

It was a pitchers' duel early on as neither team was able to get any offense going through three and a half innings, with Austin College finally breaking through in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI single from Jake Webster to make it a 1-0 game. LeTourneau would quickly take the lead in the next half inning, however, after an error on a pickoff attempt opened the door to a pair of runs that made it 2-1.

The LeTourneau lead grew to 5-1 in the sixth before the 'Roos got a pair back in the bottom half of that inning, with Oscar Gonzalez scoring on a wild pitch and Webster coming home on a balk to make it 5-3. Bennett Reagan singled home a run to kick off a four-run seventh that put Austin College back on top, with Josh Boring, Webster, and Gonzalez each bringing home a run to make it a 7-5 game.

However, the 'Roos would give up the lead in the next half inning as the Yellow Jackets took advantage of two errors and five wild pitches in the frame to push nine runs across, putting them on top for good. Two more runs came home for LeTourneau in the ninth before Austin College got one run back in the ninth to make it a 16-8 final. 

AJ Pritchard took the loss in relief, surrendering three runs – two earned – on three hits in 1.2 innings of action. Reagan finished the game going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, and Webster went 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Austin College at the plate.

The 'Roos are back in action tomorrow night for another non-conference matchup, hosting the University of Texas-Dallas at 7:00 p.m. 

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