CLEBURNE, Texas (May 9, 2019) – Lubbock Christian University outhit St. Edward's on Thursday afternoon but could not get the hits when needed, falling to the Hilltoppers 3-2 in the first round of the Heartland Conference Tournament.
 
With the loss, LCU dropped to 35-16 on the season and SEU moved to 26-25 overall. Nathan Medrano earned the win, pitching the first complete game of his collegiate career and moving to 4-4 this season. Ryan Johnson took the loss, his first of the year, dropping him to 13-1. It was the first loss he has suffered since last year's conference tournament, when he also lost to St. Edward's on May 11, 2018.
 
Johnson pitched well overall, scattering just four hits over his seven innings on the mound and striking out 10 batters while allowing just three runs – two of which were earned. He was given an early lead as well, as the Chaps scored the first run of the game in the first inning.
 
The Chaps led off their opening frame of offense with a pair of singles from Chase Whetsel and Braden Hayward before Hill Alexander reached on a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with no outs. Andrew Pratt then hit a sacrifice fly to give LCU the lead, but Medrano followed with a pair of strikeouts with to end the threat.
 
St. Edward's was behind 1-0 for the first four innings of play before the Hilltoppers finally scratched across a run in the top of the fifth. It was a leadoff walk from Zach Schindler, who ended up scoring on a squeeze bunt play from Ryan McPhail. SEU then added a go-ahead run in the sixth with an unearned run. Johnson got a pair of outs and looked to have the third when Morgan Allen swung at strike three. The pitch got away from Pratt, however, and Allen then stole second and advance to third on another error. Schindler then drove him in with a single to left field for SEU's first lead of the game.
 
In the bottom of the seventh LCU knotted things up again. Andres Negron led off with a single and advance to second on a sacrifice bunt from James Hardberger. Ryan Rijo then came to the plate as a pinch hitter and came through, singling to right center to drive in the run and tie the game.
 
A leadoff double from Blake Holub sparked yet another SEU run in the top of the eighth, chasing the starting pitcher Johnson. Nolan Burr came into pinch run for Holub and scored on a sacrifice fly, which proved to be the winning run.
 
LCU came close to re-tying the game in the bottom of the eighth on one swing, as Andrew Pratt gave a ball a ride to the right center gap, but it was caught at the wall. Keaton Greenwalt then tried to spark one last rally in the ninth, singling to start the inning and advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. It looked as if he would come in to tie the game on a single from Negron, but the ball held up just enough for SEU center fielder Ryan McPhail to get under it and record the out, and St. Edward's was able to secure the win.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
127 | SEU starting pitcher Nathan Medrano threw a season-high 119 pitches, throwing his first-ever collegiate complete game in the process
.277 | LCU has just 23 hits in 83 at-bats with runners in scoring position against St. Edward's this season for a .277 batting average
10 | Ryan Johnson struck out 10 batters in the game, marking the first time an LCU pitcher reached the double-digit mark since April 23^rd and the first time for Johnson since March 22 against UAFS
1.77 | In 20.1 innings against the Chaps this season, Medrano has allowed just four earned runs
1-5 | Ryan Rijo got his fifth at-bat as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and his first hit, driving in a run
 
NEXT UP 
Lubbock Christian drops to the loser's bracket of the tournament now and will try and stave off elimination at noon on Friday when they face the loser of the matchup between Rogers State and Arkansas-Fort Smith.