SOFTBALL: East Texas Baptist sweeps season-finales from LeTourneau
MARSHALL, Texas -- The East Texas Baptist Tigers swept a season-ending doubleheader from the LeTourneau YellowJackets on Saturday, winning the twinbill by scores of 8-2 and 13-5.
At ETBU's Taylor Field, the Tigers (23-13) improved to 14-8 in American Southwest Conference play, likely wrapping up second place in the ASC's East Division.
The YellowJackets (18-21), who concluded their second consecutive season with at least 18 wins, finished the 2012 season with a 7-17 record in ASC play.
Saturday's doubleheader marked the final games in the careers of Christin Mickelboro and Ashley McPhail.
Mickelboro (pictured), a Longview native and an alumna of Longview High School, finishes her career as LeTourneau's all-time leader in nine offensive categories, including batting average (.417), home runs (30), RBIs (137) and slugging percentage (.744).
McPhail, a junior in terms of her athletic career, will graduate in May and in three seasons with the Jackets, compiled a .304 career batting average. She batted a collegiate-best .341 in 2012.
Aubrey Couvillion, another junior who will graduate in May, also played in her final collegiate game in the second contest of the afternoon. She had been sidelined with an injury since March 17, but was placed in the starting lineup and recorded an at-bat in the top of the first inning of Saturday's finale.
GAME ONE: EAST TEXAS BAPTIST 8, LeTOURNEAU 2
The Tigers jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings and gave pitcher Kaylee Davis all the support she needed as ETBU claimed victory.
The Jackets scored their lone runs in the fourth inning when they loaded the bases for Anna Winter, who knocked a 2-RBI single that scored Sara Whitehead and Mickelboro.
Kelli Parton absorbed the loss for the Jackets, giving up five earned runs over six innings, striking out two batters and walking two. Parton finished the season with an 8-4 record.
GAME TWO: EAST TEXAS BAPTIST 13, LeTOURNEAU 5
Mickelboro's eighth home run of the season and 30th of her LeTourneau career helped the Jackets take 4-0 lead after two innings, but the Tigers scored eight unanswered runs en route to the win.
Whitehead led off the second inning with a double, which was followed by Mickelboro's home run over the center-field fence. After the home run, Jourdan Glover singled, and then moved to second when Anna Winter walked.
After the Tigers replaced Davis with Ashton Brey in the pitcher's circle, the Jackets continued to reach base, as Chloe Cooper knocked a single through the right side. The next batter, Brittinie Alcorn then singled to right field for her first collegiate RBI, scoring Glover.
ETBU opted to make a second pitching change in the inning, with Jordan Bullard getting the first out when she retired Juliana Tuel, who still got credit for an RBI with a sacrifice fly to score Winter.
The Tigers scored two runs in the third and then six runs in the fourth to take an 8-4 lead. The Jackets added a run in the top of the fifth when Brooklyn Greene doubled and then came home when Whitehead reached on an outfield error; however, LeTourneau would get no closer the rest of the game.
Bullard earned the win for the Tiers, allowing only an unearned run in five innings of relief. Taylor Thibodeaux (10-17) absorbed the loss for the Jackets.
