LUBBOCK, Texas (April 2, 2021) – In the first inning of Friday's game, Lubbock Christian University allowed six runs. The Chaps ended up scoring six themselves in the game, but West Texas A&M added three more in the late innings to hold on and win 9-6 at Hays Field.
 
WT's six-spot first came off LCU starting pitcher Shandon Herrera. The first batter reached via an error before a walk to Keone Givens. After the first out, the Buffs got back-to-back doubles to plate the first three runs. Then two batters later Will Feunning homered to score three more. Herrera got one more out before he was lifted due to injury.
 
Tyler Hardwick came in to relieve Herrera, giving up a single before getting a groundout to finally end the top of the first. Hardwick would go on to have his best outing of the season. He kept the Buffs off the board for the second through fifth innings, despite pitching with a runner in scoring position in every frame. The final line for Hardwick featured a career-high 5.2 innings as well as a career-high six strikeouts.
 
Opposite of Hardwick though, West Texas A&M starter Mathieu Gauthier was excellent early, keeping the Chaps hitless through the first three innings.
 
LCU finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning, starting with a one-out single from Colin Gordon. Luis Navarro followed with a single of his own to put runners at the corners. A strikeout later, George Mendazona came to the plate, took a ball and then clubbed a ball to left center field that landed over the wall for a three-run home run. The homer was Mendazona's third of the year and gave him a total of 18 RBIs.
 
The Chaps scored again in the bottom of the fifth, pulling within two runs thanks to Caden Hensley, who led off with a triple to the wall in left center. A pair of strikeouts followed, but Hensley came in on a wild pitch. Eduardo Acosta followed with a triple of his own, and Gordon hit a ball hard next, but it was right at the WT right fielder to end the rally threat.
 
Now just ahead by two, WT finally got to Hardwick for a pair of runs in the sixth, thanks to a leadoff homer from Givens, a hit-by-pitch and a couple of singles. Hardwick did get two strikeouts with runners on the corners to close out the inning.
 
The Buffs added one final run in the seventh off Hardwick on a couple of doubles, bringing Logan Ellis into the game out of the Chap bullpen. Ellis got the final two outs of the inning and ended up closing out the game, pitching two and two thirds innings with three strikeouts.
 
LCU got a run back to led off the seventh when Mason Donohoe led off with a home run and got Hensley all the way to third, but Gauthier struck out Acosta and induced a fly out from Gordon to stop the rally.
The Chaps' last big chance to rally was in the bottom of the eighth, when Jake Suddreth came on in relief for the Buffs. Suddreth walked a batter, hit one and gave up a single to load the bases with no outs. He did strike out Donohoe, but Hensley followed with a  walk to push a run across.
 
Carter Brown then came in to pitch and struck out the next two batters to close out the frame. Brown stayed in for the ninth and sat the Chaps down in order.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
16 | WT's 16 hits in the game are the most allowed by the Chap pitching staff this season. The last time LCU allowed more than 16 hits in a game was April 19, 2019 against TAMIU when they allowed 20
.231 | The Chaps had just three hits in 13 at-bats (.231 BA) with runners in scoring position, including 0-3 with the bases loaded and 1-7 with a runner on third and less than two outs
13 | The Buffs' 13 runners left on base were also tied for the most by an opponent in 2021. TAMIU also left 13 runners on base on March 4
1.59 | With no runs allowed in just 2.2 innings of work, Logan Ellis lowered his ERA for the season to a measly 1.59
15 | LCU pitchers got 15 of their outs on Friday on the ground, compared to just nine strikeouts and four fly outs
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will try and salvage a win in the series on Saturday, hosting West Texas A&M one final time this season at 1 p.m. at Hays Field