LUBBOCK, Texas (March 8, 2020) – The Lubbock Christian baseball tried to rally in the last inning but came up short once again, losing to UT Tyler 4-2 on Sunday at Hays Field.
 
Lubbock Christian has now lost all three of their home series this season and falls to 7-15 on the season, while the Patriots are now 19-3 and tied for first in the conference with No. 1 Angelo State.
 
Aaron Weseman started the game on the mound for the Chaps and ran into trouble quickly. He walked Tanner Roach to start the game and then gave up a single to Riley Jepson, putting runners at the corners with no outs. He worked out of it though, picking off Jepson before getting a popout and a groundout to end strand Roach at third.
 
Weseman settled in nicely after that and ended up working five and a third inning with just one run allowed. He allowed only three more hits after the Jepson single and did not walk another batter after the first inning while striking out four.
 
The Chap offense gave Weseman a lead to work with in the bottom of the third inning with a manufactured run. Peyton Maddox worked a one-out walk and George Mendazona followed with a single to advance him to third. He then scored on a groundout form Larry Leitha.
 
In the top of the fifth the Patriots tied the game up with a manufactured run of their own, using a single, a bunt and another single before Weseman got out with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
LCU had a good chance to get back in front in the bottom of the inning, as Leitha doubled to left center and advanced to third with two outs on a wild pitch. Skyler Nelson followed with a walk and Luis Navarro worked the count full but couldn't pull the trigger on the sixth pitch of the at-bat and struck out looking.
 
UT Tyler loaded the bases in the sixth, forcing Weseman from the game, but Logan McCrummen came in and got a strikeout looking and a flyout to end the threat. The Patriots took the lead in the seventh though, as Corbin Geisendorff was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Roach singled to left field to drive him in, but the ball got past AJ Perez and Roach came all the way around to score on the error.
 
Jaden Fowler came in to pitch in the top of the eighth and pitched a scoreless frame, but he did allow an insurance run in the ninth inning. UTT then brought in their closer, Matthew McMillan, for the save in the ninth.
 
McMillan gave up a leadoff single to Cayde Ward, who made his first start of the season. Then with one out Merritt McPherson worked a walk and pinch runner were put in for both players. A wild pitch and a throwing error from the UTT catcher allowed pinch runner Brandon Corondo to score from second, but Gavy Perez-Torres was thrown out on the play at third, leaving the Chaps with just one out left. McMillan hit the inside corner of the plate for a called strike three on Jaxon Shirley to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
7 | Matthew McMillan's seven saves this season lead the Lone Star Conference and rank in the top five nationally
1.000 | Larry Leitha had five hits in 13 at-bats and all of them went for extra bases, giving him a slugging percentage of exactly 1.000
10-6 | The Chaps struck out 10 times in the series finale, including six times looking
.088 | LCU had just three hits in 34 at-bats with runners in scoring position during the four games for an .088 batting average
19 | With his double in the fifth, Leitha extended his streak of games in which he has reached base to 19
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will head back out on the road next weekend, travelling to Stephenville where they will take on Tarleton State in a four-game series.