AUSTIN, Texas (April 14, 2023) – Lubbock Christian got its first win over a ranked opponent this season on Friday, downing No. 4 St. Edward's 12-6 at Lucian-Hamilton Field.
 
LCU's win over SEU was their first over a top-five team since April 2022, when they beat No. 5 West Texas A&M in two games in Canyon. The Chaps are now 23-16 on the year and 21-16 in Lone Star Conference play.
 
Lubbock Christian scored early and they scored often to complete the upset, plating runs in seven of the nine innings. They got on the board just four batters into the game, after a one-out single from Brevin McCool and walk from Eduardo Acosta. The pair scored thanks to a wild pitch and an RBI single from Chris Shull.
 
In the second, just one Chap run came across, thanks to a leadoff home run from Ryan Ball. The solo blast was Ball's fourth of the season. The Hilltoppers also got on the board in the second, but plated just one run, with Chap starter Ayden Alger getting a groundout to end the frame with runners at the corners.
 
Back in the Friday starter role this week, Alger pitch a strong six innings, allowing just four runs on seven hits while striking out six. He threw 106 pitches en route to his sixth win of the year against just one loss.
 
The third inning was one of the two where LCU didn't score and SEU pulled within a run by plating one of their own. The Chap offense got going again in the fourth though, thanks to a leadoff single by Jarred Gibson and a pair of two-out singles from Caden Hensley and Carson Ogilvie.
 
In the fifth, Lubbock Christian hung a crooked number again. Nate Van Maanen hit an opposite field home run with one out, and Hayden Blair came through with some more two-out magic to drive in Gibson. SEU got both runs back in the bottom half, but Van Maanen came through again with a sac fly to get the Chaps to seven runs.
 
Coleson Abel came in to relieve Alger to start the bottom of the seventh, and faced the Hilltoppers' last try for a comeback. A one-out double and home run cut LCU's lead back to one run, but Abel struck out the next two batters to keep his team in front.
 
Lubbock Christian saved its biggest offensive inning for that moment, and again the scoring all came with two outs. After a lineout double play erased a leadoff walk, the Chaps went to work. McCool homered – his eighth of the year – followed by an Acosta single. That brought up Van Maanen, who homered for the second time in the game. Shull followed that with yet another four-bagger, and LCU ended the inning up five. It is the second time in less than a week that Van Maanen and Shull have gone back-to-back, a feat that they accomplished last Saturday in the win over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
Abel used a double play for a three-up, three-down inning in the eighth, Van Maanen drove in yet another run for insurance in the ninth, and Abel worked around a one-out single with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game, earning his first Lubbock Christian save in the process.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
52 | This was the third time this season LCU has hit five homers in one game (3/5 vs. OC, 4/8 vs. TAMUK) and they now have 52 on the season, which leads the Lone Star Conference
.550 | The Chaps had an incredible 11 hits in 20 at-bats with two outs already in the inning for a .550 batting average. Five of their 12 total runs were scored with two outs
.089 | On the flip side, LCU allowed just one two-out hit from the Hilltoppers. This season, Alger has allowed only five two-out hits in 56 chances for an opponent's batting average of .089 in those situations
13 | Van Maanen had his second five-RBI game of the season, tying him (with Shull and Acosta) for the team lead. He has 13 multi-RBI games overall
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps and No. 4 Hilltoppers will meet for a doubleheader Saturday with game one starting at noon at Lucian-Hamilton Field.