SAN ANGELO, Texas (March 6, 2022) – In a series full of them, it was another late-inning rally that won the game on Sunday, with Lubbock Christian on the wrong side of a 9-4 loss to Angelo State at Foster Field.
 
The Chaps (13-5, 11-5 LSC) took an early lead and held it through six innings thanks to a strong performance from starting pitcher Tyler Hardwick, but the Rams (15-5, 15-5 LSC) rallied for nine runs in the seventh to secure the win
 
George Mendazona made sure his team started off the game on the right foot, coming to the plate as the second batter of the game and smacking an opposite field home run over the wall in left center. It was the only run scored by the Chaps in the first inning, but it put Hardwick on the mound with a lead from the start.
 
The one run was enough for the Chaparral right-hander, who put up a zero in the first and sat the Rams down in order in the second, including a pair of strikeouts. In the third, he hit a batter but was helped out with a with a caught stealing and put up scoreless frame.
 
In the fourth, LCU's offense got Hardwick two more runs. Jarred Gibson led off the inning with a single to center field, and Larry Leitha followed with a two-run blast to right field. Leitha pulled the ball down the line and just snuck it inside the foul pole into the Ram bullpen to tie him for the lead with five round-trippers this season.
 
The Chaps' fourth and final run came in the sixth, when Leitha doubled with one out and then scored on Edgar Hernandez's two out double. Leitha finished the game 3-4 with a walk, and all of his hits went for extra bases. His batting average is now p a .367 and his .783 slugging percentage is the second-best in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Hardwick pitched his final frame in the bottom of the sixth, leaving men at first and second with a strikeout looking of Austin Beck. He allowed just two hits and two walks on the day, and only once did a runner reach third base during his time on the mound. The Roswell, N.M. native lowered his ERA to 3.48 in the outing, which is the best mark on the team.
 
LCU looked to tack on insurance runs in the seventh, but had a run cut down at the plate for the first out of the inning and weren't able to push anyone across.
 
The Ram rally came in the bottom half of the inning, as Lubbock Christian went to the bullpen and just couldn't get outs. ASU had only four hits in the frame and there was one Chap error, but by the time it was over, Angelo State was on top 9-4.
 
The Chaps had baserunners in both the eighth and ninth, but couldn't put together a rally.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.083 | Lubbock Christian stranded 11 runners on Sunday, hitting just .083 (1-12) with runners in scoring position
10 | Luis Navarro caught another Ram runner stealing in the finale, giving LCU catchers 10 for the season, which is tied for the most in the LSC
.269 | With just two hits allowed, Tyler Hardwick lowered his opponents' batting average for the season to just .269
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will be at home next weekend, hosting Texas A&M International for a four-game series at Hays Field.