LUBBOCK, Texas (May 6, 2022) – St. Edward's jumped out to an early lead and Lubbock Christian University was never able to dig themselves all the way out of the hole, falling 9-7 in Friday's Lone Star Conference Championship Opening Round game at Hays Field.
 
The Chaps (34-17) will now try and stave off elimination from the postseason tournament, while the Hilltoppers (28-21) have a chance to close out the upset on Saturday.
 
It took nearly no time for SEU to jump out to a lead, which they would never relinquish. With a runner on second and two outs in the first, Chap starter Ethan Coombes walked the four-hole hitter to bring up Cullen Ainsworth. He got to a 1-2 count on the Hilltopper catcher, who then swatted a ball over the left field wall for a three run homer. Ainsworth would crush another three-run homer in the third and also double in the game, finishing with 10 total bases.
 
In a hole early, LCU started working on a comeback right away, scoring a run in the bottom of the first. They had a chance for more with runners at second and third and nobody out, when Jarred Gibson gave a ball a ride all the way to the center field wall, but it was caught there to end the rally.
 
The Chaps scored again in the second and again had a chance to tally more runs, loading the bases with two outs. Luis Navarro drew a walk to push in the run in the frame, but a strikeout to Larry Leitha ended the threat, and Ainsworth's second homer in the top of the next inning put them down by four.
 
Mason Donohoe doubled to lead off the bottom of the third and scored on an Eduardo Acosta single, but St. Edward's starter Wesley Gafford settled in after that and kept the Chaps scoreless in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
 
Meanwhile, the Hilltopper offense plated three final runs in the top of the fourth, chasing Coombes from the game in favor of Peyton Hutson. The reliever came in with a runner at second and just one out. Although the runner came to the plate, Hutson struck out Ainsworth to end the frame.
 
Hutson would end up LCU's brightest spot in the game one loss, as he finished out the game in relief. The right-hander matched his career high with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing no runs on just four hits and one walk. He struck out three more batters after Ainsworth, throwing 96 total pitches in the inning and bringing his season ERA down to 4.54.
 
In Gafford's final inning on the mound the Chaps got one more run off of him, thanks to Carson Ogilvie. The Chap shortstop slapped an opposite field home run over the right field and LCU put two more runners on, but again couldn't bring them around.
 
The last Lubbock Christian chance at a rally came in the eighth, as Jayson Flores came on to pitch for Gafford. Flores gave up a one-out single to Brevin McCool and walked Cayde Ward, who was replaced by pinch runner Sam Shank. Ogilvie then laid down a perfect bunt single, which forced a throwing error, allowing him to move all the way to third and both runs to score. George Mendazona drove in Ogilvie to bring LCU within three before the inning ended.
 
Hutson hung another zero in the ninth, but the comeback wasn't meant to be, as Flores sat the Chaps down in order in the bottom of the inning.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.200 | Despite putting their leadoff batter on in five of the nine innings, LCU was limited to just seven runs because they had only two hits in 10 chances with runners in scoring position
0 | Lubbock Christian did not have a single two-out hit in the ballgame
70 | Carson Ogilvie's home run off Wesley Gafford was his sixth of the year and the 70^th for the Chaparrals
 
NEXT UP
Win or go home time starts for the Chaps at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Hays Field.