Weekend Tiger Athletics: Leonard's Buzzer Beater Earns ETBU ASC Tournament Berth

BASKETBALL (M): CLINTON, Miss. (2/16/13) – April Leonard went coast-to-coast with six seconds on the clock hitting a running jumper as time expired giving East Texas Baptist University the 60-58 win over Mississippi College. With the win, ETBU earns the final spot from the American Southwest Conference East Division for the tournament next weekend.

Mary Slaughter led all scorers with 18 points and posted seven rebounds with four blocks pushing ETBU to the win. Leonard added 14 points and five rebounds hitting four three-pointers and shooting 50 percent from the floor. Whitney Enis was Mississippi College’s leading scorer with 14 points.

After being up by as many as 14 points in the first half, Mississippi College came back in the second half. Slaughter put ETBU up by three, 58-55, with 16 seconds left in the game on a jumper only to see Mississippi College’s Elizabeth Brooks sink the tying three-pointer with nine seconds left to put the score at 58 all. After a timeout, ETBU inbounded the ball to Leonard who ran the court and then put up the winning shot from the right side of the paint for the win, 60-58, as time expired. ETBU had as large as an eight point lead in the second half as Mississippi College came back to tie the game with 16 seconds left.

Mississippi College’s only lead was 2-0 in the game at the 18:16 mark before ETBU went on a 23-8 run in the next 10 minutes for a 13-point lead, 23-10. Their largest lead of 14, 32-18, came with 4:24 left in the half on a Jaimie Kadlecek lay up.

ETBU finished shooting 40 percent from the floor, 46 percent from the arc, and 71 percent from the stripe. In the first half, ETBU hit 5-of-9 three-pointers for 55 percent. Mississippi College shot 42 percent from the floor and the arc and shot only 44 percent from the line. Mississippi College also out rebounded ETBU, 38-36.

ETBU will now wait to see who they will play in the ASC Tournament on Friday, February 22nd.

Click here to view buzzer beater shot





Three Players Score in Double Figures Finishing out 2013 Season in Loss

BASKETBALL (M): CLINTON, Miss. (2/16/13) – Mississippi College wore down East Texas Baptist University in the paint taking the final American Southwest Conference East Division game of the year, 74-68. Mississippi College scored 42 points in the paint and had 21 second chance points in the game. ETBU finishes the season at 9-16 and 5-14 in the ASC.

Three players finished in double figures for ETBU as Junior Mitchell had 13 points. Justin Felicia finished with 12 points and Jaron Joseph closed his career with 11 points, two assists, one steal, and four rebounds. Mississippi College’s Adam Smith went 12-of-17 from the floor for 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead all scorers.

With ETBU leading, 11-8, at the 14:32 mark, Mississippi College made a run over the next nine minutes to change the momentum of the game. They put together a 25-9 run for a 13-point lead, 33-20. Mississippi College went on to take a 14-point lead at the half, 39-25.

Mississippi College’s largest lead of 17 points started the second half on a three-pointer, 42-25. ETBU slowly clawed back into the game and was within four, 62-58, with 4:06 left in the game. ETBU had the ball twice in the next minute and 20 seconds but couldn’t get a basket to pull within two. By the 1:59 mark, Mississippi had put the lead to seven, 68-61. With 17 seconds left, Felicia swooshed in a three-pointer to come within four, 72-68. Mississippi College hit two free throws four seconds later for the six-point lead but ETBU missed a three-pointer in an attempt to come within three. The Choctaws grabbed the rebound and ended the game.

ETBU shot 46 percent from the floor and the three-point line and made 75 percent of their free throws. Mississippi College finished making 44 percent of their shots from the floor, 36 percent from the arc, and 66 percent from the stripe. ETBU was out rebounded, 38-27, and had 19 turnovers.

ETBU finishes the season at 9-16 and will lose only one senior in Jaron Joseph for next year.

ETBU Opens 2013 in Style with 23 Runs

SOFTBALL: MARSHALL, Texas (2/16/13) – Opening up the 2013 season in style, East Texas Baptist University scored a combined 23 runs and did not let an earned run score as they swept the series with Austin College. ETBU took game on, 9-1, and then shut out Austin College, 14-0, in game two. ETBU is now 2-0 on the year.

ETBU posted two home runs on the day in game two by Shelby Klein and Lacy Liles. Maranda Westbrook led the team with four hits and four runs scored while Jessica Delgado was 3-of-4 with four RBI and three runs scored. Klein finished the day with five RBI on two hits. Shelby Parker and Twany Hank picked up wins and both had four strikeouts each.

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Game 1

ETBU 9, Austin College 1

Austin College went up 1-0 in the top of the third with an unearned run as they had two hits in the inning. The lead did not last long as ETBU responded with three straight innings of scoring. ETBU put up two runs in the third, six in the fourth, and one in the fifth for the 9-1 win.

Lya Swaner, Kelsey DeCarolis, and Kayla Garcia all had two hits for ETBU. Alyssa Romero led with three RBI and two runs scored as Sara Clements, Garcia, Liles, Hank, Kelly Jo McLendon, and Maranda Westbrook all had one RBI. Hank went 4.2 innings for the win with four strikeouts and Shelby Phillips picked up the last out of the fifth with a fly out.

Down one, ETBU took the lead for good with two runs in the third. Garcia tripled to right centerfield as Romero came in from second base. Liles followed with a sacrifice bunt that brought in Garcia for the lead.

In the fourth inning McClendon singled up the middle as DeCarolis came in from second base for the first of the six runs. Three batters later, with the bases loaded, Romero doubled down the left field line clearing the bases for a 6-1 lead. Clements made it two hits in row with a single down the right field line as Romero became the fifth run of the inning. Two batters later, Hank singled to right center scoring Clements as ETBU went up 8-1.

In the fifth inning, Maranda Westbrook singled in the game ending run to end the game, 9-1.



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Game 2

ETBU 14, Austin College 0

ETBU scored in every inning for the 14-0 win picking up 13 hits and not having an error. Maranda Westbrook went 3-of-3 with three runs scored while Klein, Garcia, and Delgado all were 2-of-3. Klein finished with five RBI and Delgado added four RBI for nine of the 14 runs scored. Garcia and Liles each had two RBI and Romero produced one RBI.

Shelby Parker went three innings for the win giving up only three hits for the shutout win on four strikeouts. Kelly Jo McLendon pitched the fourth for three strikeouts and Christy Dowdy finished up the fifth to end the game.

Liles hit her first home run of the year in the first inning for the 2-0 lead. Delgado singled in the second to make it 3-0 and then Klein powered a shot over the left centerfield fence for a six-run advantage. In fourth inning, Romero, Garcia, and Klein all walked with the bases loaded for a RBI and the 9-0 lead.

Delgado added three more RBI on the day with a bases clearing double to right center as Maranda Westbrook, Logan Gardner, and Jordan Bullard all scored. Klein doubled in the 13th run of the day for ETBU and Garcia ended the scoring with an infield single that had Klein score to make it 14-0.

ETBU will host Trinity University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 23rd, at Taylor Field.

Austin College Sweeps ETBU; Men Fall, 5-4

TENNIS: SHERMAN, Texas (2/15/13) – Austin College swept the East Texas Baptist University tennis teams on Friday as both teams are still working hard for their first win of the year. The women’s team fell, 9-0, but lost a heartbreaker, 5-4.

Tyler Tolopka and Terry Affolter earned singles wins for the men at the #1 and #4 matches. Tolopka won 7-6 (6-4), 6-0 over Tyler Roush and then Affolter took a 6-4, 6-4 win at the #4 singles over James Taylor.

ETBU started off the match with a 2-1 lead in doubles. Tolopka and Jeremy Rhodes teamed up for an 8-5 win in #1 doubles and Weston Godsey and Affolter took the #2 doubles, 8-6.

ETBU will be back in action on February 22nd against Southwestern University.

ETBU Takes Series vs. Schreiner

BASEBALL: KERRVILLE, Texas (2/16/13) – Clutch hitting and pitching took place in Kerrville, Texas, for East Texas Baptist University as they took the series from Schreiner University winning one of two games on the second day. ETBU pulled out a 4-2 win in game one and fell short in game two, 6-4. ETBU is now 3-2 on the year.

Jeremy Pinder led ETBU on Saturday as he went 4-of-8 with two runs scored. Phil Windham followed going 3-of-6 with three RBI and two runs scored and his second home run of the year. Zach Tampke earned his first win of the year in game one and Ernest Perez received the save.

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Game 1

ETBU 4, Schreiner 2

Schreiner jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two runs in the third before ETBU tied it up with two runs in the top of the fourth. ETBU took the lead with a run in the top of the fifth and added an insurance run in the top of seventh for a 4-2 lead.

Windham went 2-of-2 with two RBI and two runs scored to lead the team as Pinder was 2-of-4 with one run scored. Garrett Parsons and Ben Beltran both recorded a RBI, too. Tampke went five innings recording three strikeouts and two earned runs for the win. Perez finished out the final two innings with one walk and one strikeout in 10 batters faced.

Parsons brought in the first run of the game with a triple as Windham scored from first base. Beltran followed Parsons with a sacrifice fly to right field as Parsons came in from third base to tie the game. Windham brought in the go-ahead run in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice fly to left field as Pinder came in.

With two outs in the top of seventh, Windham gave ETBU the insurance run with his second home run of the year for a two-run advantage, 4-2.

Perez got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout to end the game. Schreiner had the bases juiced when Perez struck out Martin to end the game and earn the save.



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Game 2

Schreiner 6, ETBU 4

After ETBU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Schreiner put three runs on the board and ETBU had to play from behind the rest of the game as they fell in the final game, 6-4. ETBU cut the lead to one, 3-2, with a run in the third but gave up three more runs in the third to Schreiner falling behind, 6-2. The game stayed scoreless until the top of the ninth when ETBU scored two runs to pull within two, 6-4.

Josh Stoffregen went one inning and gave up three runs with one strikeout for the loss. Tanner Matthews followed going two innings and letting three earned runs score. Jordan Gibbs worked four innings for two strikeouts and only allowed two hits and no runs. Luke Pinkard finished out the day with one inning of work with two strikeouts and two hits.

Pinder went 2-of-4 with one run scored as the only player with two hits. Jon Burkhart led the team with two RBI on one hit and Windham added one RBI.

Windham doubled in Pinder in the top of the first for ETBU’s first run of the game. After Schreiner scored three in the bottom of the inning, Sullivan crossed home plate in the third inning on an error to bring ETBU within one, 3-2. Schreiner responded with three runs in the bottom of the third to push their lead to four runs, 6-2.

After five scoreless innings, ETBU put together a small rally but fell short in the ninth. Burkhart came in with the bases loaded and two outs and delivered with a single scoring both Wesley Schoon and Patrick. Schreiner stopped the rally for the win as they struck out Sullivan to end the game with two runners in scoring position.

ETBU is now 3-2 overall and will host Austin College on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. in their home opener at Woods Field.