CLAREMORE, Okla. (April 19, 2018) – Road woes continued for No.13 Lubbock Christian University, as LCU was held to three runs on 11 hits, while Rogers State University combined for 16 hits with runners in scoring position to sweep LCU 12-2 and 11-1 in a Heartland Conference doubleheader Thursday at Diamond Sports Complex. The pair of losses extends LCU's road losing streak to six games and they have dropped seven of their last eight road contests.
 
From getting a pair of complete game pitching performances from a pair of starting pitchers combining for two prior starts, solid plate performances to some key calls in their favor, everything went right for RSU Thursday. The Hillcats produced 20 hits with runners on base (hit .500 in the category), 16 with runners in scoring position (hit .500 in the category) and had 11 at-bats (four hits) with the bases loaded. LCU had six at-bats with runners in scoring position for the day (two hits) and never had the bases loaded.
 
A walk followed by an error fielding a sacrifice bunt opened the bottom of the first inning and led to a 2-0 lead for RSU in the opening game. They followed with a four-hit second inning off Chaps starting pitcher Ricky Contreras, who walked four batters in the first two innings, leading to a 4-0 lead. LCU opened the third inning with Andres Negron and Will Clark leading off the inning with singles. Logan Nethercot plated Negron with a sacrifice fly and Scotland Church drove in Clark with a two-out base hit. Leading 4-2, RSU pulled away in the fifth inning. The Chaps used five pitchers in the fifth inning, as RSU sent 10 batters to the plate and combined for four runs off four hits and received three walks. Zack Mann and Brendan Griffith each drove in a pair in the inning.  Blake Chiaramonte produced a two-run triple in the sixth inning, which drove in a pair and highlighted a four-run inning.
 
Contreras (6-3) suffered the loss for LCU, allowing six runs (five earned) off seven hits in 7.0 innings. LCU used six pitchers and they combined for 10 walks in the game. Landon Nealon (1-0) made his first start of the season on the mound for RSU and allowed two runs off seven hits in a complete game win. He went the middle innings retiring nine straight batters without allowing a hit.
 
Mann (2-for-4), Chiaramonte (3-for-4) and Griffith (3-for-4) represented the No.2-4 hitters in the lineup for RSU and combined for 11 RBI. Mann and Griffith each had four RBI.
 
Negron opened the second game with a RBI-single in the second inning and it gave LCU a 1-0 lead. Callan Johnson cruised early, holding the Hillcats off the scoreboard with two hits allowed in 5.0 innings pitched, but the whole complexion of the game changed in the top of the sixth inning. Church appeared to draw a walk, but was rung up on a 3-2 pitch to leadoff the sixth inning.  In the bottom of the sixth inning, Chiaramonte hit a double with one out, placing the tying run in scoring position. Griffith followed Chiaramonte and was facing a 2-2 count and Johnson's pitch appeared in the strikezone, but was called "ball three" leading to an outraged LCU dugout. The following pitch was sent up the middle for a base hit and it tied the game 1-1. Three more hits would follow in the inning and LCU trailed 3-1. In the seventh inning, six hits, an error and a series of unsuccessful fielders choice put-outs led to the Hillcats scoring eight runs and the game ending via the run rule.
 
RSU combined for 11 runs off 11 hits over the final two innings. Seven runs that scored for RSU were unearned runs.  Callan Johnson (6-3) went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs off five hits. Chandler Casey allowed seven runs in 0.2 innings in relief, but only one was an earned run.
 
Preston Whitten made his third start of the season and went the distance (7.0 innings) with a run allowed off four hits. He did not allow a hit to the final 11 batters faced, while improving to 3-1 on the season. 
 
Negron was 2-for-3 for LCU in the losing cause and had LCU's lone RBI. Degnan went 3-for-5 with two RBI to lead RSU at the plate.
 
The Chaps hope different results await Friday, as the two teams close out the four-game series with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. in Claremore.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.422 | RSU out-hit LCU 27-11 and hit .422 as a team.
1 | LCU went 1-for-3 in each game with runners in scoring position.
2 | LCU fell in consecutive games to RSU for the first time since April 17, 2014.
3 | Andres Negron and Dillon Drury each went 3-for-6 on the day to lead LCU in hits.
3 | The Chaps hit into three double plays in the opening game.  The mark was a season high and the most since Apr. 2, 2016 at St. Edward's.
4 | RSU had four extra-base hits in the doubleheader and did not allow an extra-base hit.
5 | Blake Chiaramonte (5-for-7) and Bradley Degnan (5-for-9) each co-led RSU with five hits Thursday.
6 | Brendan Griffith posted six RBI Thursday off a 4-for-7 performance at the plate.
6.1 | RSU averaged 6.1 plate appearances by their batters in each inning of the opening game (LCU averaged 3.1).
8 | Andrew Pratt witnessed his eight-game hit streak come to an end in the second game. He also failed to reach base, ending a streak of 16 consecutive road games reaching base safely.
11 | RSU was 11-for-22 (.500) in two-out bats (LCU was 3-for-16,.188), which helped counter a 23.1% (3-for-13) mark on getting the leadoff batter aboard (Callan Johnson was 6-for-6 keeping the leadoff batter off base).
13 | RSU posted 13 two-out RBI Thursday, outscoring LCU 13-2 in the category.