No.7 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (30-12, 15-5) at ROGERS STATE (23-18, 9-11)
Saturday, April 23 – 1:00 p.m.
Diamond Sports Complex (Claremore, Okla.)
Radio: KJTV am950/100.7fm
All-Time Series: LCU leads 21-9
Tweet #LCUvsRSU

 
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
LCU – Russell Reber (5-1, 3.26 ERA)
RSU – Tyler Kruse (4-3, 4.34 ERA)
 
RANKINGS
LCU: No. 7 (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper), No.15 (NCBWA), No. 21 (Perfect Game), No.24 (D2Baseball News)
RSU: Unranked
 
RUN ENDED
No.7 Lubbock Christian University split a Friday twinbill at Rogers State University, setting up Saturday's rubber match at 1 p.m. to claim their Heartland Conference three-game series. The split extended and ended LCU's conference win streak at nine games and their overall streak to five wins. The loss also bumped the Chaps to second place in the Heartland Conference standings and they are a game behind St. Edward's with a 15-5 conference record. Rogers State ended a four-game losing streak in their win Friday (have lost seven of their last nine games), and are tied for sixth in the conference with a 9-11 Heartland record.
 
FRIDAY FLASHBACK
Lubbock Christian University's pitchers held Rogers State University to four hits in each game of their Heartland Conference doubleheader, but it was not enough to garner a sweep, as the No.7 Chaparrals used a 13-strikeout complete game from Guillaume Blanchette to defeat the Hillcats 5-1 before the Chaps fell 4-2 in the second game of the twinbill Friday at Diamond Sports Complex.
 
Of the 21 put-outs in the opening seven-inning affair, 13 were via strikeouts by Blanchette. The career high mark was the highest individual strikeout total by a Chaps hurler since Tyler Rogers struck out 14 against Oklahoma Christian on Feb. 24, 2012.
 
STREAKS
Hunter McFall had his 23-game hit streak come to an end in the opening game Friday. The mark was the longest by a Chap this season and it marked only the fourth game (first in conference) in which McFall was held hitless. His streak of consecutive games in which he has reached base safely is still alive at 28 consecutive games. The current active leading hit streak on the squad is now held by Brent Stewart at five games.
 
THE RUSS BUS
LCU will start Russell Reber on the mound. He is 5-1 on the season with a 3.26 ERA. The start will mark his team-leading 13^th start of the season. He allowed two runs off four hits in five innings last Saturday in LCU's 11-2 win over Texas A&M International. Reber has only allowed one earned run in his last two road outings, which combined for 11 innings (only five earned runs allowed in four road appearances this season).
  
ON THEIR HILL
The Hillcats are expected to start junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Kruse, who is expected to make his 10^th start of the season. Kruse (4-3, 4.34 ERA) last appeared on the mound last Saturday at Texas-Permian Basin, where he went six innings and allowed one run off six hits. He did not receive a decision after a late bullpen collapse. He is 2-0 in his last three starts (all his appearances have been in a starting role). He has gone at least six innings in his last four starts.
 
SERIES NOTABLES
- Jesse Pintado leads LCU in the series with a .429 batting mark (3-for-7).
- The Chaps have a stranded 15 on base in the series, while RSU has stranded five. However, RSU is 0-for-5 in the series with runners in scoring position.
- LCU has a 16-8 advantage in hits in the series. The eight hits allowed is the fewest by the Chaps in consecutive games this season.
- The Chaps were held to under 10 hits in each game. The longest stretch of games LCU has gone with less than 10 hits is three games.
- LCU's pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts in the doubleheader. RSU entered Friday leading the conference in the fewest strikeouts at the plate (196).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
LCU leads the all-time series with a 21-9 mark. The Chaps have won nine of the last 12 prior regular season meetings. In the conference series (Heartland and Sooner Athletic Conference), the home team has only won the series three times (out of nine series).