LUBBOCK, Texas (April 22, 2023) – Strong starts on the mound from Ryan Markwardt and Andrew Duran led Lubbock Christian University to a sweep of Saturday's doubleheader against West Texas A&M, clinching the series win for the Chaps.
 
LCU improved to 27-18 overall this year and 25-18 in Lone Star Conference play and will go for its first sweep of the season on Sunday.
 
GAME ONE
Ryan Markwardt has now thrown four straight complete games. The left-hander has gone the distance in every game he has pitched in the month of April, allowing three earned runs or less in every one of them.
 
This week, the Itasca, Texas native allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks through his seven innings of work. Pitching to contact, Markwardt struck out only three Buffs, finishing the game on just over 100 pitches.
 
The Chap starter was helped out by an early onslaught from the Lubbock Christian offense that saw them up 8-0 after the first three innings.
 
WT starting pitcher Reese Miller was wild from the start, walking three Chaps in the first inning along with the singles he allowed from Carson Ogilvie and Eduardo Acosta, allowing LCU to plate two runs. He walked Caden Hensley to lead off the second and hit Ogilvie, and, after a passed ball, Hensley scored on a sacrifice fly.
 
Lubbock Christian's big offensive inning came in the third though, when they chased Miller from the game. He hit Chris Shull with one out and gave up a double to Ryan Ball. He actually struck out Hensley for the second out, but then allowed a triple from Ogilvie, who scored on the play when the WT left fielder misplayed the ball. That pushed out Miller, but the Chaps greeted the new pitcher with a single from Brevin McCool and a triple from Acosta.
 
The Buffs got three runs back in the top of the fourth when, after back-to-back walks, Dylan Fesperman doubled to clear the bases.
 
McCool singled in the fifth to score Hayden Blair for an insurance run, and LCU added three more in the bottom of the sixth for the final 12-3 score.
 
GAME TWO
LCU's offense didn't score quite as much in the late game, but it was enough to get the job done with Duran dominating on the mound.
 
Following up Markwardt's performance, Duran allowed just five hits in his own complete game, striking out five and limiting the Buffs to two runs. The righty notched his fourth complete game of the year and lowered his ERA to 6.24.
 
Although the Chaps didn't give Duran quite as much run support, he was the beneficiary of an early lead just like Markwardt. The bottom of the Chap order did the damage to Maddux Hoaglund, along with one of his own defenders. Shull, Blair and Jaxson Edwards collected three straight singles to plate the first run, and then an error by the Buff shortstop on Hensley's ground ball allowed another run across.
 
The Buffs got one of the runs back in the top of the third and loaded the bases with two outs, but Duran got a ground ball to the shortstop to escape with no further damage.
 
LCU's final and the game's eventual deciding run came in the bottom of the with a small two out rally. Jarred Gibson got things going with a walk and then hustled all the way around to score when the next batter, Shull, doubled down the right field line.
 
Duran gave up one final run in the top of the sixth on a really close play at first base, where Hensley through was beat by half a step by Bryant Bailey. In the seventh, Duran struck out two and got a groundout from the league-leader in batting average (Adam Becker) to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.240 | Combining to limit the Buffs to just 12 hits in 50 at-bats, Markwardt and Duran held WT to a .240 batting average on the day
7 | Carson Ogilvie notched hist seventh triple of the season in game two of the doubleheader, the most of any player in the Lone Star Conference. LCU's single-season record for triples by an individual is 11 by Randy Velarde in 1985
.966 | WT has been one of the top defensive teams in the LSC, but their fielding percentage has dropped to .966 this weekend with eight errors through three games
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps will go for the sweep in this Rivalry on the Range series on Sunday. Senior Day ceremonies at Hays Field will begin at 12:45 p.m., with first pitch schedul