MARSHALL, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball team dropped an American Southwest Conference doubleheader to league-leading East Texas Baptist, falling 3-1 and 9-4 on Friday in Marshall.

The first game was a pitcher's duel between Grant Mitzelfelt and Sayers Collins. Mitzelfelt was perfect through five innings but the Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth for the win.

Gannon Azios gave the Cowboys a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth with a solo home run to left center. ETBU came back and Ben Lea hit his 14^th home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning. Austin Barry had a two-run single later in the inning.

Mitzelfelt took the loss allowing three runs on four hits to fall to 5-4. Collins went the distance and allowed just five hits and one run and he struck out 13 batters.

Luke Kirkbride had two of the five HSU hits. Four different Tigers had one hit each.

In the second game, Austin Barry had a three-run home run in the first inning for the Tigers and C Wilson had an RBI single in the second inning.

HSU cut the deficit to 4-3 with three runs in the fourth inning as Sam Buchkowski had a two-run single and HSU added another run later in the inning on a wild pitch.

Lea hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and Barry added a two-run home run in the fifth inning to make it 7-3. Barry had an RBI single in the seventh inning and another run came in on the back end of a double steal.

Robert Croft earned the win in relief for ETBU. Barry had three hits and drove in six runs for the Tigers.  

Caidon Livingston took the loss for the Cowboys, allowing eight runs (six earned) on seven hits. Jaydon Stephens and Johnny Follett worked out of the bullpen. Buchkowski led the offense with two hits.

The Cowboys are now 14-19 overall and 9-11 in league play. East Texas Baptist improved to 23-8 overall and 18-2 in conference action. The teams will conclude the series with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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