Box Score CLEBURNE, Texas (May 10, 2018) – Lubbock Christian University exploded for 11 runs off 17 hits, with Scotland Church, Dillon Drury and Andrew Pratt each producing three-hit performances, and the No.3 seeded Chaparrals used a complete game pitching performance from Ricky Contreras to open their stay at the Heartland Conference Tournament with a 11-5 win over No.2-seeded St. Mary's Thursday night at The Depot at Cleburne Station. The win marked LCU's first win in an opening game of the Heartland Conference Tournament and they will play top-seeded St. Edward's Friday at 3:30 p.m.
 
The 11 runs and 17 hits were Heartland Conference Tournament program highs for LCU, who entered the game with an all-time hitting mark of .188 in five all-time games in the tournament (entered the tournament 1-4 all-time at the tournament). The Chaps were 0-2 in Heartland Conference Tournament openers prior to Thursday.
 
They played from behind early, as Donnie Perez hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Rattlers a 2-0 lead.  LCU responded in the top of the second inning with a trio of runs, jumpstarted by a leadoff double off the left field fence by Ryan Rogers. The Chaps took advantage of an error and a walk with a RBI-single from Dillon Drury, a groundout RBI by Keaton Greenwalt and a sacrifice fly from Braden Hayward to account for their three runs for a 3-2 lead.
 
Two of the Rattlers first three hits resulted in home runs, and Angel Vega hit StMU's second home run in the game with a two-run shot into left field for a 4-3 StMU lead. Following the homer, LCU pitcher Ricky Contreras settled down to face the following 13 batters without allowing a hit. Meanwhile, LCU's offense produced the game's next eight runs. Scotland Church led off the fifth inning with a triple and scored on a single by Andrew Pratt to tie the game 4-4 before a five run sixth inning changed the complex of the game. Greenwalt led off the sixth inning with a home run. The hit was one of five hits in the inning, with Drury capping the string of hits in the inning with a two-run single for a 9-4 LCU lead.
 
LCU's first two batters in the seventh inning were retired before Church, Pratt and Rogers each produced a hit, with Rogers' hit scoring a pair of runs for an 11-4 LCU lead. StMU ended the streak of LCU runs in the in the bottom of the seventh inning with a RBI-single from James Davison to end the game's scoring.
 
Ricky Contreras went the distance for LCU, going 9.0 innings for his seventh complete game of the season. Contreras allowed five runs off six hits, holding the Rattlers to two hits past the third inning. He improved to 8-4 on the season.  New Mexico transfer Fernando Fernandez-Beltran suffered the loss (8-5) on the hill for StMU. He had his roughest outing of the season, allowing season highs in hits (12) and runs (9) in 5.1 innings of work.
 
Drury had three RBI to go along with his 3-for-5 performance at the plate. His three hits matched a career high for the senior designated hitter. Six Chaps had multi-hit performances, with Rogers (two) and Greenwalt (two) also joining Drury with multi-RBI performances as well. Perez finished the game 2-for-4 for StMU. He was their lone multi-hit performer.
 
LCU had been 0-4 against StMU this season after being held to eight runs off 18 hits in their four-game Heartland Conference series. The Chaps are now 2-1 against StMU all-time at the Heartland Conference Tournament.  LCU, winners of their last five games, improved to 33-18 on the season and the game was their first neutral site contest of the season.  StMU fell to 34-17 with the loss, which bumps them into an elimination game against Arkansas - Fort Smith.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0-4 | St. Mary's dropped to 0-4 this season in neutral site games.
.214 | StMU hit .214 with runners on base Thursday, as LCU pitcher Ricky Contreras held StMU to three hits with 14 at-bats with runners aboard base.
2-for-3 | LCU was 2-for-3 Thursday with the bases loaded.  They had one bases loaded at-bat in the four-game conference series at StMU.
6 | Keaton Greenwalt's home run was a solo home run, marking six consecutive home runs that have been solo home runs for LCU. They also have a string of 11 of their last 16 home runs resulting in solo shots.
6 | Braden Hayward's sacrifice fly was his team-leading sixth of the season.
7 | The Chaps had seven hits with two outs Thursday, going 7-for-16 (.438) in two-out at-bats.
17-16 | LCU's win improved the Chaps to a 17-16 all-time record against StMU.
79.4% | In five meetings against StMU, LCU has had 123 at-bats against left handed pitching and 32 at-bats against righties, marking a rate of 79.4% at-bats against left-handed hurlers in the series.