LUBBOCK, Texas (February 19, 2022) – Lubbock Christian University split Saturday's doubleheader with St. Mary's, coming up just short of a comeback with a 9-8 loss in the first game and winning 11-10 on a walkoff in the nightcap.
 
The walkoff win not only gave the Chaps (8-3, 8-3) a chance to still win the series in Sunday's finale, but marked an important milestone in the history of the program. It was the 696^th win of head coach Nathan Blackwood's career leading the program. It breaks the program record of 695 wins set by former LCU head coach and Hall of Honor member Larry Hays, making Blackwood the winningest coach in program history.
 
Blackwood is in his 19^th season as the head coach of the Chaps and broke the record with a better winning percentage than Hays. Hays was 695-381 in his tenure as the Chaps (.646), and Blackwood currently boasts a record of 696-313 (.689). His win total is the 24^th-most among active NCAA Division II head coaches.
 
GAME ONE
Lubbock Christian was about six inches short of walking off the first game of the day. With Edgar Hernandez on first base and one out, the Chaps used Mason Donohoe to pinch hit. Donohoe swung on the first pitch he saw.
 
It was an opposite field shot and carried over the left fielder's head. It looked like it would clear the wall for a walkoff, two-run home run, but the ball just caught the top of the wall. Hernandez tried to score on what ended up being a double for Donohoe, but a strong throw in from the outfield cut him down at the plate with the Chaps still down a run. Carson Ogilvie struck out swinging next, but reached first base on a wild pitch. A groundout ended the game with the Rattlers on top.
 
The Chaparrals probably shouldn't have even had a chance to win the first game though. St. Mary's scored early and they scored often to start the game, plating three runs in the first, one in the second and four in the third to build an early 8-0 lead, while starting pitcher Mason Minister dealt on the mound.
 
LCU finally fought back in the bottom of the fifth, putting up a five-spot in an inning that featured three Chap home runs. They tacked on one more in the sixth, but gave it back up in the top of the seventh on an error.
 
That unearned run proved to be the difference, as St. Mary's held on for the win in the seventh.
 
GAME TWO
It was nearly the same story for the Chaps in game two, although this time they took an early lead before falling behind.
 
Ty Stephenson got off to a good start on the mound with a shutout first inning that included a pair of strikeouts and Lubbock Christian got on the board early with a leadoff home run from Eduardo Acosta, who had a massive second game at the plate with three hits and two walks.
 
The Rattlers went back in front with three runs in the top of the second, but LCU turned the score around again with a six-run bottom of the inning. The big blast of the inning came from Jaxson Edwards, who blasted a three-run home run to put the Chaps up by four.
 
Again though, St. Mary's came right back, this time taking advantage of miscues from Lubbock Christian. StMU plated five runs in the top of the third, doing so with just one hit. Four batters were walked in the inning, there was a pair of hit-by-pitches and two errors as well. By the end of the frame, the Rattlers led 8-7.
 
After that, the offenses were settled by some good relief pitching. Peyton Hutson was the reliever used by the Chaps and was solid, allowing just two runs and striking out six in 4.1 innings. Brett Brown handled the middle third of the game and limited the Chaps to two runs on five hits.
 
Brown kept his team in the lead 8-7 until the fifth inning, when Will Buchholz and Caden Hensley singled to start the inning and Eduardo Acosta plated a run with another single, but an inning-ending double play killed the rally there.
 
St. Mary's was scoreless in the sixth, but re-took the lead in the top of the seventh and final inning with a pair of two-out runs.
 
Trying to rally again, Hensley walked to start the bottom of the seventh for the Chaps, and Acosta followed him with another free pass. Hernandez then doubled to right field, driving in one run, and when the cutoff man dropped the ball for the Rattlers, Acosta scored as well, tying the game.
 
Then, some confusing things happened. Luis Navarro was issued an intentional walk, leaving runners at the corners, still with no outs. The Rattlers went to the bullpen and brought in John Curtis, who was good in relief on Friday night. Finally, StMU brought one of its outfielders in to play on the infield, trying to keep the ball from getting through.
 
It ended up being all for naught, as Gibson swung at the first pitch Gibson threw and drove it opposite field to the right field warning track. Not long after it landed, he was mobbed by his teammates behind first base.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
10 | Jarred Gibson had a hit in both ends of the doubleheader, including his first home run of the season in the first game, and is now the only Chap remaining to have a hit in every game
49 | Luis Navarro reached base in both games as well, extending his on-base streak to 49 straight games dating back to last season
6 | LCU came into Saturday's doubleheader with just six home runs on the season. The wind wasn't blowing particularly hard at Hays Field, but they doubled that total with six more on Saturday alone. They are now slugging .507 for the year
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's will meet in the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Hays Field.