Hawks Take Down Millsaps In Extras Before Suffering Season-Ending Walk-Off Loss To ETBU

MARSHALL, Texas- After falling to the #1 seeded Trinity Tigers in their regional opener, Huntingdon Baseball returned to action against the Millsaps Majors, taking a 6-3 victory in 10 innings before falling 9-8 to the host team, the East Texas Baptist Tigers. 

How it happened

Game One

Following a scoreless first two innings, the Hawks claimed a 1-0 lead in the third, as Brent Cadenhead singled through the left side to score Blayne McDaniel. Their lead proved to be short-lived however, as the Majors responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a one run lead into the fifth.

Millsaps pushed their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly, but as they've showcased all postseason, the Hawks battled, scoring two runs in the eighth inning to even things at 3. Sam Kelley crossed home plate first, scoring on a wild pitch to get things going before Brent Honaker was walked with the bases loaded, bringing in Brodie Holcomb to bring the score to 3-3.  Neither team could could find the winning run in the ninth inning, forcing extras with each squad's season on the line.

In the top frame of the 10th inning, the Hawks caught fire at the plate, sparked by Mikael Bryant's RBI double that scored Byron McLain to give Huntingdon the lead. Ethan Duhon returned the favor to Bryant shortly thereafter with a sacrifice bunt to bring the score to 5-3. Cade Morgan closed the inning with a RBI single to left field, scoring Cadenhead to give Huntingdon the 6-3 victory.

Five pitchers saw time on the mound for Huntingdon today, with JB Landrum earning the start and Will Argo and Jable Ramey each seeing time as well. Brent Cadenhead ultimately was the one who walked away with the victory, moving to 1-2 on the season while Parker Szush was credited with his second save of the season.

Game Two

Contrary to the start of the first game, ETBU found their way onto the scoreboard first, scoring two runs in the first inning to grab the early advantage. Following a scoreless second and third innings however, the Hawks stormed back to claim a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. Brodie Holcomb secured Huntingdon's first run of the frame, scoring off a throwing error from the Tigers' catcher to bring the scoreto 2-1. Mikael Bryant followed up with a single through the left side, scoring Dalton Kuhn to even things up before he and Brent Cadenhead scored off a RBI single from Cade Morgan to close the inning with the Hawks in front 4-2. 

Not to be outdone however, the Tigers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie things up at 4. Huntingdon continued to battle however, taking back the lead in the seventh inning with three more runs. Holcomb kicked things off with a single up the middle, allowing Blayne McDaniel to cross home plate, making the score 5-4. Sam Kelley scored for the second time that day shortly after on another wild pitch to push the Huntingdon lead to 6-4 before Brodie Holcomb crossed home plate to extend the lead to 7-4.

Another ETBU run in the seventh inning brought the Tigers within two, 7-5, with two innings to go. They followed up with two more runs in the eighth inning to even things up coming down the stretch, but Huntingdon refused to back down. In the top of the ninth inning, Dalton Kuhn reached on a Fielder's Choice, scoring Holcomb to give the Hawks a 8-7 lead with one frame remaining.

With two outs on the board and one runner on, the Tigers did the unthinkable, drilling a two-run shot over the right field fence to walk things off, taking a 9-8 victory and ending the Hawks season.

For the first time since 2016, Huntingdon Baseball claimed a conference title and qualified for the NCAA tournament, winning their first tournament game since the 2013 season. The Hawks finished this season with an overall record of 23-21, claiming the Collegiate Conference of the South Championship as the #5 team in the tournament. Stay tuned for news to come of the team's 2026 season.