TYLER, Texas – Texas Lutheran's 33-game win streak ended Friday with a 5-1 loss to No. 3 East Texas Baptist at the 2015 NCAA Division III Softball Championship – Tyler Regional.
 
TLU, ranked 14th in the latest NFCA poll, drops into the loser's bracket and plays a 4 p.m. elimination game Saturday against the loser of the University of Texas at Tyler and Whittier (Calif.) contest.
 
The Bulldogs (36-5) fell behind 2-0 in the first inning. A TLU throwing error extended the Tigers' frame, and both runs scored in the inning were unearned. Another Bulldog error led to an unearned run in the fourth.
 
ETBU improved to 34-4 and faces the winner between UT Tyler and Whittier at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
ETBU senior right-hander Shelby Parker moved to 23-1 overall. Parker struck out seven, moving her season strikeout total to 198.
 
Parker took a one-hit shutout into the seventh before the Bulldogs put together three hits and pushed across a run.
 
The Bulldogs scored on a Brayden Pinckard RBI single to right field that brought home Ashley Jacobsen.
 
Entering the seventh, TLU's lone hit came from Jennifer Gallagher, who doubled to deep center field in the fourth.
 
Before the rally in the seventh, the Bulldogs had only two base runners – Megan Armistead on a hit-by-pitch and Gallagher.
 
The Bulldogs brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh. After Jacobsen singled to start the inning, the next two Bulldogs were retired. But TLU rallied with two outs with an Armistead single, Pinckard's RBI single, and a Nicole Snow hit-by-pitch.
 
Heather Hummel, TLU's leading home run hitter, faced Parker with the bases loaded and with TLU trailing by four. Hummel smashed a hard liner to third, where Maranda Westbrook caught the ball for the third out.
 
"I don't think we competed very well, offensively anyhow," said TLU Head Coach Wade Wilson. "I think we had a few mistakes early that got us behind the eight ball. I just don't think we had good at-bats against a great pitcher."
 
"(Shelby) Parker does a tremendous job of forcing you to take control of the situation, and we didn't do that. She was in control the entire game."
 
TLU junior right-hander Taylor Grissom took her first loss of the season, dropping to 19-1. She went 5.1 innings and allowed three runs, all unearned. She allowed four hits and two walks.
 
The Bulldogs suffered their first loss since a home setback against Calumet-St. Joseph (Ind.), 3-2, on March 2.
 
TLU dropped to 0-3 all-time against ETBU in NCAA regional play. The Tigers took two from the Bulldogs in last season's NCAA regional in Tyler.