SAN ANGELO, Texas (May 18, 2019) – Lubbock Christian University saw their 2019 baseball season come to an end on Friday at the hands of Angelo State, losing 6-1 to the Rams.
 
The Chaps' loss was their fifth straight to end the season and eliminated them from the NCAA Postseason Tournament, ending their year with a 35-17 overall record. The five-game losing streak is the longest for LCU since 2015.
 
LCU had offensive chances early against ASU starting pitcher Trent Baker, getting runners all the way to third base in each of the first three innings, but they were unable to get anyone across. Angelo State took advantage and finally broke through against Chandler Casey in the bottom of the third with back-to-back triples and an ground ball that scored a second run.
 
Chap starting pitcher Chandler Casey finished out that inning without allowing any more runs to score, but the Rams added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth after a one-out walk, a single and another triple. The three triples were the most allowed by LCU in a game this season, and they had only allowed five in their previous 51 games this season.
 
In the bottom of the sixth the Rams threatened to score again, but a heads up play from Braden Hayward cut down a run at the plate, and senior Ricky Contreras came in to get the final out. Contreras closed out the game, allowing just one run on three hits in 2.1 innings pitched. He struck out one batter, giving him 269 for his career and sole possession of third place in the LCU record books.
 
Lubbock Christian's lone run in the game came from their first batter of the ninth inning, as Andres Negron crushed a pitch over the right field wall. Baker bounced back, however, and retired the next three batters in order for a complete-game win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.514 | LCU's slugging percentage for the year was .514, their highest for a season since 2014 when they slugged .520
3.58 | Chap pitchers were on the mound for 422.1 innings this season and allowed just 168 earned runs for an ERA of 3.58, which is their lowest in the last 11 seasons
.411 | Senior outfielder Hill Alexander collected two hits in the game, raising his season average to .411, which is the highest any Chap has hit in a season since Hunter McFall's .424 average in 2016
918 | LCU's offense collected 918 total bases during the season, their most since the 2013 team racked up 1,089 in a year
394 | 2019's squad struck out 394 batters during the season, which was the most by an LCU staff since 2011, when they struck out 487 opposing batters
 
NEXT UP
Several Chap players have a good chance of being drafted in the Major League Baseball draft June 3-5 or being signed shortly thereafter, and head coach Nathan Blackwood and his staff will now look ahead to the 2019-20 school year and baseball season.