ADA, Okla. - The East Central University baseball team took on Newman University in a non-conference game on Wednesday at Ken Turner. The Tigers came away with a hard-fought 8-5 victory as they tune up for a big conference series this weekend against Southern Nazarene University.
 
Newman took a quick lead in the opening frame when Tigers' starting pitcher Bryan Terry walked and hit a batter with one out. A double by the Jets cleanup hitter plated one run, but Terry finished the inning strong with a big strikeout before coaxing a flyout to end the threat.  
 
ECU tied the game in the home half of the second with a two-out rally. Michael Rosario singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Christian Whitaker reached on an error.  
 
Newman would retake the lead in the third off reliever Kaleb Dent with an unearned run that scored with the help of two Tiger errors.  ECU would answer in the bottom of the third as Nolan Herchock walked and advanced to second on a Duncan Key hit by pitch. Dawerlyn Amancio's RBI single drove in Herchock.  Amancio stole second and Key scored on an RBI groundout by Tanner Collins. Kyle Busker's sacrifice fly scored Amancio, and the Tigers were out front 4-2, a lead that they would not give up.  
 
Herchock would walk to lead off the fifth and eventually score on Busker's single to increase the ECU lead to 5-2.  
 
Tiger reliever Ian Mason had pitched a clean fifth inning before giving up an unearned run in the sixth. 
 
ECU scored two more in the bottom of the sixth when Whitaker reached on a two-base error and then stole third base. Whitaker scored the sixth Tiger run on a wild pitch, but the rally was not over. Nick Blankenship walked and took third on a single by Herchock, who promptly stole second. Key drove the run home with a groundout, and the lead was 7-3.   
 
In the seventh, Mason gave up a two-out run on a rundown play as the Jets cut the lead to 7-4.  
 
Newman mounted a rally in the eighth when Tiger reliever Price Daube gave up two hits and hit a batter to load the bases with one out. Carson Thomas came on in relief, getting an out on a sacrifice fly before walking a man to load the bases once again. Thomas escaped the jam with a ground out to end the threat.  
 
The Tigers picked up an insurance run in the eighth with a Mason Glowacki single, followed by walks to Blankenship and Herchock. Key plated Glowacki on a sacrifice fly for the eighth and final ECU run. That was all that Tiger hurler Thomas would need as he mowed the Jets down in order in the ninth to close out the 8-5 victory.  
 
ECU picked up seven hits in the contest as Glowacki had two, while Herchock, Amancio, Collins, Busker, and Rosario had one each. Key and Busker picked up two RBI's each as well.  
 
The Tigers had a combined effort on the mound, with Bryan Terry going two innings, giving up one run while striking out three and giving up two hits. Kaleb Dent got the win, going two innings with only one unearned run. Ian Mason held the Jets at bay during the middle innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on one hit, two walks, and a strikeout.  Daube went ⅓ giving up a run, while Carson Thomas got the save with a nearly perfect 1 ⅔ innings, giving up just a single base runner on a walk.     

The East Central University baseball team will be back in action at Ken Turner Field March 4-5 for a GAC series against Southern Nazarene University. Saturday's game is a doubleheader starting at noon, and Sunday's game will start at 1 p.m.