LUBBOCK, Texas (March 7, 2021) – With the wind blowing out, it was sure to be a high-scoring game at Hays Field Sunday, but it played into Lubbock Christian University's favor this time around as they beat Angelo State 12-6.
 
The Chaps moved to 4-8 with the win and are now 3-6 in Lone Star Conference play. They handed the Rams just their second loss of the year and dropped them to 7-2 in league action.
 
Armando Valle started on the mound for LCU and set the tone with a quick three up, three down inning that included two strikeouts. He was then given an early lead in the bottom of the first, as Eduardo Acosta and Colin Gordon singled to start the frame and were driven in on a single by Larry Leitha. The 2-0 lead was the first Chaparral lead all series.
 
Angelo State went down without a run again in the second thanks to a ground ball double play, but the third inning was a different story. Thomas Cain started the inning with a single and stole second and third to get into scoring position. He came in on a single and Josh Elvir followed with a double before the second out. Valle then walked the next batter and the Rams got two more hits before the frame ended to go up 5-2.
 
LCU got all the runs back an inning later in the bottom of the fourth. It was Mason Donohoe who sparked the rally with a leadoff double. Donohoe had a great day at the plate, doubling twice and tripling once for seven total bases. He scored on a fielder's choice, but the Chaps still weren't done with two outs.
 
Caden Hensley worked all the way back from down 0-2 and worked a walk and Grant Griffin was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then up came Acosta, who took a 1-1 pitch and clobbered it over the left field wall for a grand slam and an LCU 7-5 lead.
 
A two-run lead against the ASU offense was not the most comfortable though, and the Chaps continued to pile on as the game continued. Donohoe scored in the fifth after a leadoff triple, and Gordon scored in the sixth after he was hit by a pitch, stole a base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. LCU scored again in the seventh on a pair of singles and bunt and add their final two on an RBI double by Donahoe in the eighth.
 
Two key defensive plays also kept the Rams from rallying throughout the rest of the game. The first came in the top of the fifth, with the Chaps just up by two after their offensive outburst in the bottom of the fourth. Elvir doubled to start the inning for the Rams but tried to steal third and was thrown out by Navarro behind the plate. A popout and a goundout ended the inning.
 

Then in the eighth, Parker Bramlett drove a ball into left field with one out. LCU left fielder Grant Griffin quickly chased the ball down at the warning track, turned and fired a strike to second base where Hensley applied the tag on Bramlett for the second out of the inning.
 
Angelo State's only run after the third inning came in the ninth inning, when Koi Carrillo came in to close out the win. A one-out walk, a hit batter and a single scored a run, and another walk loaded the bases with two outs. A visit from LCU pitching coach Jermaine Van Buren settled Carrillo though, and he struck out Aaron Walters looking to win the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4 | Peyton Hutson came on in relief of Valle in the sixth inning and struck out a season-high four batters in three innings of work
.636 | Acosta had two hits in the finale, including the go-ahead grand slam, to hit .636 for the weekend. He tied for the team lead in hits with Navarro, with seven for each hitter
9 | Navarro also caught five runners stealing on the weekend and now leads the conference with nine this season. He has already surpassed his season total from a year ago
.333 | After struggling to drive in runs in the first two games, LCU hit .333 (5-for-15) with runners in scoring position in the finale
21 | Valle struck out six batters in his five innings of work and has a team-leading 21 for the season. That number also ranks 12^th in the LSC
.258 | Angelo State came into the series with a team batting average of .384, but was held to a .258 batting average (25-97) by the Lubbock Christian pitching staff
1.32 | The Chaparral bullpen combined to allow just two earned runs in 13.2 innings of work over the weekend for an ERA of 1.32
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will be on the road next weekend, traveling to Laredo, Texas to take on Texas A&M International in three games March 12-14 at Jorge Haynes Field.