KINGSVILLE, Texas (February 15, 2020) – Lubbock Christian dropped a pair of games against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday afternoon, losing 2-1 on a walkoff home run in the top half of the doubleheader before being shut out for the first time all season in the nightcap.
 
The Chaps (3-6, 3-6) pitched well enough to beat the Javelinas (7-1, 7-1) limiting them to just five hits in both of the contests, but could not muster enough offense of their own to secure a win.
 
GAME ONE
Armando Valle got the ball for LCU in the first half of the doubleheader and picked up right where he left off in his last start against St. Mary's. Valle struck out a pair of batters in the bottom of the first inning, setting the tone for his outing. He ended up going 6.0 innings on the mound, scattering four hits while striking out five.
 
Matching Valle almost pitch for pitch, however, was Javelina starter John Mike Rodriguez, who pitched five and a third innings, allowing seven hits but striking out seven as well. Rodriguez also walked just one batter, compared to four for Valle.
 
The Chaps finally broke through and scored their lone run of the game off Rodriguez in the fifth inning. It was outfielder Grant Griffin, making his first start in an LCU uniform, who did most of the work to score the run, as he laid down a one-out bunt single and then put himself into scoring position with a steal of second. Griffin then moved to third on a ground out before he was driven in by a George Mendazona single.
 
Valle worked a shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, but the Javelinas got the run back and tied the game in the sixth, using a leadoff walk, a steal and a single to score. Neither team scored in the seventh, forcing extra innings for the second straight game.
 
With Shandon Herrera on the mound in relief of Valle, Texas A&M-Kingsville center fielder Seth Spinn hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to win them the game.
 
GAME TWO
The Javelina pitcher in game two was Amado Almanzar, and he was even more dominant of the Chaps than his game one counterpart had been. Almanzar carried a no-hitter through six innings, giving up only two hits in total with one walk and six strikeouts.
 
Almanzar was given a first inning lead, as the Javelina offense struck early for a run against LCU starter Aaron Weseman. The Chap starter did not have a bad day on the mound, scattering five hits and working around five walks to give up just four runs. He struck just one batter though, throwing 98 pitches, 53 of which were strikes.
 
The runs tacked on against Weseman came in the fifth and sixth innings, before he gave way to reliever Brennen Fowler, who struck out the final Javelina batter in the bottom of the sixth.
 
LCU finally got a hit to lead off the seventh inning, as Mendazona and Larry Leitha both singled. Luis Navarro then walked, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Jaxon Shirley. With reliever Chase Glover now on the mound for TAMUK, Shirley struck out, as did pinch hitter Tate Ellison. Skyler Nelson grounded out to first base to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.071 | LCU had another three chances to bat with the bases loaded on Saturday and went 0-3, dropping them to an .071 batting average in those situations this season
22 | The Chaps have left 22 runners on base during the three games against Texas A&M-Kingsville and are batting .128 with runners on against them
3.97 | Lubbock Christian's starting pitchers have posted an earned run average of 3.97  this season, including 2.79 in the series against the Javelinas
0 | The Chaps were shut out in a game for the first time since they lost 4-0 to St. Edward's on April 28, 2018
16 | With his five strikeouts, Armando Valle has retaken the team lead with 16 strikeouts
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will try and salvage a win in the series on Sunday, taking on Texas A&M-Kingsville at 1 p.m. at Nolan Ryan Field.