LUBBOCK, Texas (May 7, 2022) – The final score looked more like it belonged to a football game and Lubbock Christian didn't come out on the right end Saturday, falling 20-17 to St. Edward's at Hays Field.
 
The loss drops the Chaps to 34-18 on the year and eliminates them from the Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship, as St. Edward's moves on to next week's second round after the upset in the best-of-three series.
 
As you would expect, the run-scoring started nearly right away in the high-scoring ballgame. Tyler Hardwick was on the mound and gave up a few weak singles early and the SEU really started hitting the ball, eventually plating nine runs in the inning and chasing the Chaparral starter from the game. Fourteen SEU batters came to the plate in the inning.
 
Luckily for LCU, Hilltopper starter Luke Short was not at his best either, and the Chaps cut away at the lead with three runs in the first, two of which came on a George Mendazona home run.
 
Armando Valle kept St. Edward's scoreless in the second, which ended up being a pretty rare feat, and the Chaps continued their offensive attack of Short in the bottom of the inning. The lefty allowed a walk and a single before recording one out and then had to be removed from the game. Both runners he put on scored, and the new pitcher – Eric Worden – gave up five more before the inning was over, as the Chaps came all the way back and took a 10-9 lead. RBI singles came from Mason Donohoe and Jarred Gibson, but the big swing was by Eduardo Acosta, who left the yard for the go-ahead three run homer.
 
St. Edward's re-tied the game in the third with an inside-the-park home run from Turner Olson, and the Chaps went scoreless in the bottom of the inning – another rare accomplishment in the game. A walk and a double in the fourth allowed the Hilltoppers to retake the lead 11-10, but the scoring was far from over.
 
Lubbock Christian see-sawed back in front in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer by Gibson that scored himself and Leitha, but St. Edward's jumped right back on top with two runs in the fifth.
 
In the sixth, Worden was replaced on the mound by Austin Essex, but it was more of the same with the new pitcher. The Chaps worked a two-out rally, getting RBI singles from Acosta and Caden Hensley to put them ahead again.
 
The lead moved back in favor of St. Edward's in the seventh though, and they would not relinquish again the rest of the way. They plated three runs in the frame, three more in the eighth and the final two in the ninth to hold off the Chaps.
 
LCU fought right up to the end. They scored on more in the seventh and two in the eighth. Cayde Ward led off the eighth with a pinch-hit home run for his third of the season. Luis Navarro drove in one more run with a triple to right field that just missed clearing the wall and tying the game.
 
Even in the ninth, Lubbock Christian started the inning with back-to-back singles, but Jayson Flores was able to get the next three batters and preserve the win.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
21 | Saturday's game was the 21^st this season that Lubbock Christian scored at least 10 runs, but it was their first loss in those contests
215 | LCU used six pitchers in the game, and they combined to throw 215 total pitches 131 of which were for strikes
19 | The 19 hits for the Chaps were their second-most in a game this season, behind only the 21 they recorded in a 20-5 win over Cameron on 4/15
 
NEXT UP
It's wait-and-see time for Lubbock Christian, as they still have a chance to make the NCAA South Central Regional. LCU was No. 5 in the most recent regional rankings, with the top six teams making the tournament. The selection show will take place on May 15.