ETBU softball advances to DIII Regional Championship game

MARSHALL, TX (KTAL/KMSS) – On Friday, ETBU softball played in the second game of the Division III Texas Regional in Marshall. The Lady Tigers dominated St. Thomas with a 13-3 victory.

ETBU got on the board first, with an early run in the second, but St. Thomas quickly answered making it a tied game.

The Lady Tigers didn’t let that go on for long. Four runs in the second inning put ETBU out to a 5-1 advantage.

In the fifth inning, Tauryn Cummings blasted one over the wall for the Lady Tigers only solo home run of the game.

Going into the seventh inning with a 6-2 lead, the Lady Tigers gave themselves as much cushion as possible, with seven runs in the final inning alone.

Izabella Morales led the team in RBIs, bringing in five runners over the course of the game.

“I think also what made the difference for me today, I feel like we just played a lot looser and had so much fun and people just continuously having RBIs like Haylie did, it just like gives you a little bit of peace and calm knowing that you can just swing and everything and everyone else will have your back behind you,” Morales said.

After winning the national title last season, the Lady Tigers are no stranger to the regional championship game.

“We have a veteran team and these girls have been in this position before and you know they just gotta trust their ability and trust the process and continue to you know rely on it being a team performance,” head coach Janae Shirley said.

The Lady Tigers did that on Saturday.

“When you get to the postseason, everyone wants to be the hero, and when you have a team that talented, no one needs to be a hero,” Haylie Stum said. “We all just need to do our part and I think that was on display in its full form today.”

ETBU will play on Saturday, May 17 in the DIII Texas Regional Championship at 11 am, with hopes of advancing to the super regional.