SAN ANGELO, Texas (May 22, 2021) – Lubbock Christian University's epic playoff run finally came to an end, as they lost 10-3 to Angelo State in the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship Saturday at Foster Field.
 
The Chaps finish the season with a 23-24 overall record, having advanced all the way to the tournament final as the No. 6 seed. The turnaround for LCU was nothing short of remarkable, as they won 15 of their final 23 games after an 8-16 start. Lubbock Christian will bring back the majority of the 2021 roster for the 2022 season, including all but one starting position player.
 
LCU got an early lead in the game with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, playing as the home team in ASU's park. George Mendazona brought in the first run, doing all the work himself by crushing a ball over the left field wall. Luis Navarro then singled and Larry Leitha walked before Edgar Hernandez drove in a run with a double.
 
Angelo State quickly got the runs back in the top of the second, scoring twice off Lubbock Christian starting pitcher Peyton Hutson, who had put up a zero. After the two Ram runs though, both pitchers settled in, and the game remained deadlock at 2-2 for the next two and a half innings.
 
Finally, in the bottom of the fifth, the Chaps were able to scratch across a run and retake the lead. Caden Hensley led things off by getting hit by a pitch and then stole second to put himself in scoring position. Eduardo Acosta went to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw was wild and Hensley was able to score and put LCU back on top.
 
Sadly, the Lubbock Christian lead was short-lived. Hutson got two outs to start the sixth, sandwiched around a walk. Two more walks followed though, bringing in Cannon Davis, who also the first batter he faced to push in a run.
 
The ever-dangerous Josh Elvir then came to the plate and singled on the infield, which was coupled with a throwing error to score two more runs. Lubbock Christian continued to struggle to get the final out of the frame, bringing in Armando Valle for Davis and then Cade Acrey for Valle. Acrey finally induced a fly out to stop the bleeding, but the Chaps were facing a six-run deficit by that point.
 
Lubbock Christian's only baserunner in the final three frames came in the eighth, when Colin Gordon doubled to the warning track in right center in what proved to be his final collegiate at-bat. Gordon, who spent just his senior season with LCU, hit .315 as a Chap, starting all 47 games as the team's shortstop. He clubbed 16 doubles, six triples and seven home runs while walking 28 times and posting 442 on-base percentage.
 
Gordon, center fielder Larry Leitha and catcher Luis Navarro were all three named to the LSC All-Tournament Team for their performances the last two weekends.
 
Garrett Maas is the only other LCU player who finished his baseball career with the loss, and he took one final at-bat in the ninth, grounding out for the second out of the frame. A Hensley groundout ended the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.455 | Gordon was the team's leading hitter in the seven games of the LSC Tournament. He hit .455 with three doubles and four home runs for 25 total bases and a 1.136 slugging percentage
25 | Navarro caught one final runner stealing this season in the fourth inning of the game, giving him 25 for the season. It is the most in a single season by a Chap catcher in the last 12 years, which is as far back as that data is available
3.00 | Cade Acrey allowed just one earned run in an inning and two thirds of work, dropping his season ERA to exactly 3.00
.750 | Leitha slugged .750 and collected 21 total bases and a team-leading 10 RBI during the LSC Tournament
998 | Saturday's game was the 998^th coached for the Chaps by head coach Nathan Blackwood. He will hit the 1,000-game mark in the opening weekend of the 2022 season