LUBBOCK, Texas (April 21, 2023) – Down to their final strike in the bottom of the 10^th, Brevin McCool turned a pitch around and homered, tying the game against West Texas A&M at 6-6. Just three pitches later, Eduardo Acosta followed him to almost the exact same spot, walking off the Buffs in the series-opener.
 
It is the third time in the last 13 days that LCU has hit back-to-back home runs and their third walkoff win of the season, bringing them to 25-18 overall and 23-18 in Lone Star Conference play.
 
The Chaps only made it to the 10^th inning thanks to a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth – all without a hit. The frame started with walks to Carson Ogilvie and McCool. Ogilvie made it all the way to third on a errant pickoff throw. He scored when Acosta drove a ball to the track in right field, where the WT outfielder misplayed it. Nate Van Maanen was intentionally walked to load the bases, and a walk to Ryan Ball pushed the tying run across, but LCU failed to score any more.
 
Both Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M struggled to score when they put runners on throughout the game. The Chaps were 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position on the night, stranding 12 baserunners. WT was slightly better at 3-for-15 with RISP, but stranded 15 runners.
 
WT scored most of their runs in the early innings, plating one in the second and three in the third to take a 4-1 lead after LCU's single run in the first. They added a run in the fifth and briefly re-took the lead in the top of the 10^th.
 
The Chap comeback started in the bottom of the eighth, plating a run thanks to a Van Maanen double off the wall and a single from Chris Shull.
 
Shull was 2-for-5 at the plate and reached base via a walk as well. Oh, and he was the winning pitcher of record for the Chaps. The right-hander came on in the top of the tenth and allow a Buff to score, but with runners at second and third and just one out, struck out a batter and got a groundout to end the WT threat, setting up the dramatic bottom half of the frame.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
59 | With two home runs added to their total, Lubbock Christian maintained the LSC lead in home runs with 59 on the year
.282 | The Buffs had just seven hits in 25 at-bats against Chap starting pitcher Ayden Alger, lowering his opponent's batting average for the season to .282
7.27 | Coleson Abel was the first LCU reliever out of the bullpen and was excellent, keeping the Buffs of the board for three innings and lowering his ERA to 7.27. It was his fourth scoreless outing of the year
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps and Buffs will meet up again Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Hays Field.