LUBBOCK, Texas (April 6, 2023) – The lineup looked a little out of the ordinary, but Lubbock Christian put together one of it's most complete performances of the season on Thursday night, winning the series-opener against Texas A&M-Kingsville 9-4 at Hays Field.
 
The night featured two firsts for Chaparral players. Chris Shull, who has started in center field all 33 games this season, got the nod on the mound to start the game, and Carson Ogilive, who has played exclusively shortstop or second base in his LCU career, took his place in center field.
 
The plan, worked, with Shull tossing three innings with just two earned  runs allowed and four strikeout and Ogilvie going 2-4 at the plate and handling all of his chance in center field. Oh, and Shull continued to contribute at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a walk and a pair of RBI.
 
His first RBI came in the bottom of the first inning, after he had set the Javelinas down in order in the top half with his first two Ks. Shull allowed a hit in the second inning but still no runs, but TAMUK got to him in the third inning, scoring three runs on a pair of triples and an error. The Javelinas would score only one run for the rest of the game, thanks in large part to the stellar relief outing of Coleson Abel.
 
Making his seventh appearance of the season, the southpaw set a new season-high with four inning pitched and did not allow a run. In fact, he allowed just one hit and only two walks while striking out five. Abel's only real danger came in the fourth, when he first came in the game. He allowed a one-out walk and single, and the runners advanced to second and third on a groundout, but a strikeout ended the threat.
 
The Chaparral offense rewarded Abel by tying the game up in the bottom half of the inning. Hayden Blair started things off with a singled, moved over on a sac bunt, and scored when Caden Hensley reached on an error. A balk moved him to third, and he scored on a groundout.
 
Abel became the pitcher of record in the bottom of the fifth when the Chaps led off with three straight singles from Eduardo Acosta, Nate Van Maanen and Shull. The added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth, thanks mainly to a double from Brevin McCool.
 
Tyler Manyo came on to replace Abel in the eighth, and the freshman gave up one unearned run. LCU's offense got it right back and then some in the bottom half of the inning, with Ogilvie scoring on a wild pitch and Jarred Gibson driving in two more with a double.
 
Manyo closed the door in the ninth, working around a hit batter and ending the game with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.154 | Shull, Abel and Manyo combined to hold the Javelinas to just two hits in 13 at-bats with runners on base for a .154 average
1 | Lubbock Christian's pitchers allowed just one leadoff batter to reach base in their nine chances
.267 | Despite putting nine runs on the board, LCU's offense hit only .267 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base
 
NEXT UP
The same two teams will match up again on Friday for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at Hays Field.