WICHITA, Kan. (March 29, 2018) – Lubbock Christian University passed their first road test in Heartland Conference play Thursday, as No.9 LCU held on for a dramatic 1-0 victory in the opening game and completed the doubleheader sweep over Newman with a 9-3 win at McCarthy Field. LCU improves to 8-1 on the road this season and the wins in their first conference road games of the season place them at 6-0 in conference play.

Chaps pitcher Ricky Contreras and Newman's Zack Erdman had a pitcher's duel in the opening game, as both had complete game efforts. It was Contreras coming up on the upperhand with his third career complete game shutout (first of the season). Contreras allowed three hits over the seven innings and improved to 5-1 on the season with the win.

The Chaps starting pitcher had to overcome a few obstacles along the way. All three Jets hits were leadoff singles and Contreras walked an additional four batters and hit another, but Contreras was hitless from the stretch and held the Jets to 0-for-10 batting with runners on base. In the seventh inning, with LCU leading 1-0 from a RBI ground out from Ryan Rogers in the first inning, Newman loaded the bases with one out. Ked Bailey hit a fly ball to shallow right field. Will Clark made the catch in right field for the second out and threw home to prevent a sacrifice fly RBI. Clay Druin, the Jets runner at third base, tagged up and attempted to score, but while Clark's throw home was en route, Druin retreated back to third base. Clark's throw ended up hitting an infield lip and went offline. Paul Rupnik, the runner at first base, broke to second base not realizing Druin returned to third base and the confusion of runners led to a chain reaction and a series of rundowns ensued, with Chaps shortstop Andres Negron running all the way from second base to cutoff Druin from advancing home and eventually chasing him back to the third base bag and diving for the final put-out just before Druin reached base.

It was LCU's third shutout win of the season and their first 1-0 win since a 1-0 win on Apr. 13, 2017 at Oklahoma Panhandle State, which was also a game Contreras was the starting pitcher. Contreras is now 3-0 in his career against Newman and has not allowed a run in 21.2 career innings against the Jets.

Newman was held to six hits in the second game, but three of the hits came in the first 1.1 innings of Daniel Crooks' start. A double by Jake Hanson, the only extra-base hit for the Jets on the day, scored their first run of the game and Newman ended up with a 2-0 lead at the end of the second inning. The lead was short lived, as LCU responded with a four-run third inning. Negron led off the inning with a single and it was the first of four hits in the inning, with a two-run double by Andrew Pratt and a RBI-single by Dillon Drury leading to a trio of the runs scoring with two outs. Four more Chaps runs came across the plate in the fifth inning. Drury and Scotland Church each drove in a run before Keaton Greenwalt hit a two-out triple to score a pair of runs to place the Chaps lead at 8-2. LCU would score nine runs while Crooks was pitching through a sequence in which he faced 18 consecutive batters without allowing a hit.

Crooks (3-2) wrapped up the game with six innings pitched and allowing two runs off three hits. He struck out seven batters. Nathan Dockery, Nick Hooper and and Brennen Fowler each pitched an inning to close out the game. Fowler struck out the side, including the final batter with the bases loaded, in his outing during the ninth inning. Josh Mapel (1-2) lasted 4.1 innings during his start for the Jets and allowed six runs (five earned) off seven hits. He struck out five Chaps.

LCU produced 14 hits in the second game, with Dillon Drury going 3-for-3 with two RBI. Pratt (2-for-5) and Greenwalt (2-for-5) also each drove in a pair of runs for LCU.

The wins for LCU place them with a 21-7 overall record and 6-0 in conference. Newman dropped to 10-18 overall and 2-4 in Heartland play. The two programs complete their conference series Friday with a doubleheader beginning at noon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0 | Newman was 0-for-10 in the opening game in at-bats with runners on base (0-for-5 with runners in scoring position). They stranded 18 baserunners.
1 | Newman was held to one extra-base hit on the day (five for LCU).
1 | The Jets went 1-for-15 (.067) in two-out at-bats Thursday, going 0-for-6 in the opener.
2| LCU was a combined 2-for-16 (12.5%) in getting the leadoff batter aboard base. They were 0-for-7 in the opener.
4 | Andrew Pratt led LCU with four hits on the day, going 4-for-8 at the plate.
5 | Five of LCU's runs in the second game were two-out RBI. LCU had seven hits with two outs in the game (Dillon Drury and Keaton Greenwalt wach with two).
9 | The Chaps had nine hits with runners on base in the second game Thursday, with six hits produced with runners in scoring position.
12 | LCU pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts in the second game Thursday, matching a season high for strikeouts.
16 | Newman grounded out in 11 at-bats during the opener, with the Chaps defense matching a season high with 16 assists leading to put-outs.
30-5 | LCU's lone run in the opening game was tallied in the first inning, placing the Chaps with a mark of 30-5 inscoring advantage during the first inning of games played this season.