LUBBOCK, Texas (May 4, 2019) – In their regular season finale, the Lubbock Christian University baseball team came up just short, losing 4-2 to St. Mary's.
The Chaps honored their 15 seniors prior to the start of the game, recognizing a class that includes
Eddy Vasquez,
Chase Whetsel,
Braden Hayward,
Nathan Dockery,
Will Clark,
Callan Johnson,
Andres Negron,
Hill Alexander,
Ricky Contreras,
Ryan Johnson,
Andrew Pratt,
Drew Austin,
Reagan Lucia,
James Hardberger and
Chandler Casey.
Casey, pitching for probably the last time at Hays Field, started the game for the Chaps and pitched well, limiting the Rattlers to just one run during his seven inning on the mound and keeping LCU within reach of the lead.
The only run Casey allowed came in the top of the very first inning, as the Rattlers used an infield single, a wild pitch and another single to open the scoring. The run was significant because it stood as the only one of the game for the first six and a half innings and because it marked the first time in the series that St. Mary's took the lead.
Oscar Sepulveda was the starter for St. Mary's and was dominant on the mound, allowing a hit in the third from
Andres Negron, but erased him on a double play and faced the minimum through 4.1 innings.
Keaton Greenwalt finally broke things up in the bottom of the fifth with a single, but was stranded at first.
LCU's first extra-base hit on the day came to start the sixth, as
James Hardberger doubled to left center, but he was stranded there as well. The Chaps finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh with their second extra-base hit, which was a bit of a fluke. Facing an overshift with three infielders on the left side, Pratt hit a ground ball through the right side. The second basemen gave chase from behind the bag, leaving nobody to cover and allowing Pratt to hustle in with a double. He advanced to third on a Greenwalt groundout and scored when
Will Clark doubled down the right field line.
St. Mary's got back on top in the top of the eighth, scoring another three runs, and Lubbock Christian went down in order in the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the ninth LCU came up one final time with a chance to rally. They started out well, getting a solo home run from
Hill Alexander. Pratt followed with a single to left field, but Sepulveda killed the rally there, finishing the complete-game win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
13 | Hill Alexander blasted his 13
th home run of the season, tying
Andrew Pratt for both the team and conference lead
.701 | LCU suffered a loss in its last Heartland Conference game ever, as the league will merge with the Lone Star this summer. Chaps joined the Heartland starting in 2014 and finish 108-46 (.701) in league play
13 | Chap batters drew 13 walks off the Rattler pitchers, while St. Mary's hitters drew just six in the series
.209 | LCU pitchers held Rattler batters to just a .209 batting average on the weekend
4 | Rattler hitters had just four hits in 30 at-bats (.133) with runners in scoring position in the series
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will now begin its postseason journey, travelling to Cleburne, Texas for the Heartland Conference Tournament. The Chap will open the tournament at 1 p.m. on Thursday, taking on the No. 4 seeded team in the double-elimination tournament.
