LUBBOCK, Texas (March 20, 2021) – Baseball is the game with no clock, where there is always enough time to come back and win. Lubbock Christian University found that to be true on Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville, coming back twice before finally falling 7-6 in 11 innings.
 
The Chaps dropped to 7-10 on the year and 6-8 in Lone Star Conference play while the Javelinas moved to 10-4 both overall and in league action.
 
TAMUK took a lead almost immediately against LCU starting pitcher Ty Stephenson. With Seth Spinn on first after an infield single, Giancarlo Servin got a ball up in the jet stream and it cleared the left field wall for a two-run lead.
 
The Javelinas held onto that lead for the first three innings thanks to the stellar pitching of their starter, Logan Garza. Pitching six and a third innings overall, Garza kept the Chaps from scoring for the first three innings before giving up a run in the fourth. Cayde Ward started the rally with a walk and advanced to third on a double from Jaxon Shirley. He came to the plate when Garza was called for a balk.
 
Garza settled back in after the run came home though and pitched another two scoreless frames. All told, the lefty allowed just two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out 15 LCU batters.
 
TAMUK added a third run in the top of the seventh off LCU pitcher Tyler Hardwick, who came on to relieve Stephenson in the fifth inning.
 
The Chaps finally chased Garza from the game in the bottom of the seventh when George Mendazona drew a one-out walk. Caden Hensley then drew a two-out walk and the Chaps drew within one on an RBI single from Grant Griffin. Hensley scored next on an RBI single, knotting the game up at 3-3.
 
In the eighth, the Javelinas went back in front, scoring one run off Hardwick before Peyton Hutson came into pitch and Luis Navarro ended the frame by catching a runner stealing.
 
Navarro came up to lead off the eighth with an infield single. He was erased on a fielder's choice, but Mendazona drew a walk to put two on with one out. The game was tied with a pinch-hit single by Nolan Machibroda, forcing another TAMUK pitching change. Hensley was the first batter to face the new hurler, and he tripled to the wall in right center, driving in two runs and giving LCU the lead.
 
The Chaps needed just three more outs for their first win when coming back in the seventh inning or later, but the Javelinas had other ideas. With one out, Austin De Leon reached base with a walk, and Seth Spinn tied the game at 6-all with a home run, again finding the jet stream to left field. LCU went down in order in the ninth, sending the game to extras.
 
Neither team scored in the 10^th, although Mendazona flied out to the wall in right center field to end the frame, just missing a walkoff homer.
 
In the 11^th, De Leon led off with a double and was able to score on a single by Servin, giving TAMUK the lead that they eventually won by.
 
The Chaps did not go down with a whimper, with four hard-hit line drives in the last three innings, but the Javelinas were position well and made the plays to secure the win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 | Chap catcher Luis Navarro caught three runners stealing in a single game for the second time this season and third time in his LCU career. He leads the Lone Star Conference with 13 this season
.364 | Despite the loss, LCU hit .364 with runners in scoring position. They are hitting .291 (51-175) in those situations this year
15 | Garza's 15 strikeouts are the most by an opposing pitcher this season
.545 | TAMUK's leadoff batter reached in six of the 11 innings on Saturday, reaching base at a .545 clip
.571 | Caden Hensley is hitting a team-leading .571 in this series along with one walk, raising his season batting average to .238
 
NEXT UP
The loss for the Chaps makes game three the series decider, with Texas A&M-Kingsville not having lost a series yet this season. The finale begins at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hays Field