SAN ANGELO, Texas (May 13, 2023) – It was a weird doubleheader that No. 4 seed Lubbock Christian University played on Saturday, as the Chaps finished a suspended game started on Friday night, eliminating No. 2 seed St. Edward's from the Lone Star Conference Championship 10-6 before losing in the championship game 14-4 to No. 1 seed Angelo State.
 
This was the second time in the three seasons LCU has been in the Lone Star Conference that the Chaps have advanced to championship Saturday in the league's postseason tournament, a feat they also accomplished in 2021. Splitting the two games on Saturday leaves Lubbock Christian with a 35-21 overall record.
 
"I thought our guys really came out with a good energy and intensity, even with all the delays," head coach Nathan Blackwood said. "We got started right today and just ran out of gas at the end."
 
GAME ONE
The first game of the day started in the bottom of the second inning. It was a resumption of Friday night's contest against St. Edward's, which was suspended due to weather. The contest was originally set to start back up at 11 a.m. and eventually did get going again at 1 p.m. after the weather broke.
 
LCU was up 3-0 in the game after a first inning home run from Jarred Gibson on Friday night, and they quickly added one on a sacrifice fly from Eduardo Acosta. The Chaps scored another in the third, and with Ryan Markwardt and Marcos Escalera combining to shut the Hilltoppers out for the first three frames, LCU seemed to be in control.
 
Things hit a snag in the fourth, when Escalera got a little wild and allowed three runs from SEU. The Hilltoppers then tied the game in the fifth on a two-run single from Cullen Ainsworth before Stoney Rhodes came in and closed out the frame.
 
Lubbock Christian responded immediately though, scoring two runs in the top of the sixth. Caden Hensley started the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a Brevin McCool single. Both runners moved up on a groundout and scored on a two-out single from Nate Van Maanen.
 
After the Chaps took the lead, LCU brought Chris Shull in from center field to close things out on the mound. He faced just one over the minimum in his first two innings of work, keeping the Chaps ahead by two.
 
In the eighth, LCU's offense made things a little easier on him with three insurance runs. Carson Ogilvie provided the first two, homering into the left field bullpen after yet another Hensley walk. This forced an SEU pitching change, and McCool rudely greeted the new pitcher with a homer of his own.
 
Shull gave up a run in the top of the ninth, but struck out Davis Drewek to slam the door and earn his first save of the year.
 
GAME TWO
The win against the Hilltoppers set up a rematch with the No. 4-ranked and top-seeded Rams, who came through the winner's bracket.
 
LCU started off strong again, plating a run in the first inning on a single from Acosta just three batters into the game, and freshman Logan Moore used a double play to hang a zero in the bottom of the frame. ASU got on the board in the second though on a two-run home run from Justin Harris.  
 
The Chaps see-sawed back in front in the top of the third when Ogilvie homered for the second time of the day, driving in Hensley yet again, but it would be their last lead of the game.
 
Chasing Moore, the Rams plated eight runs in the frame, going up 10-7 before right-hander Logan Ellis came in and got all three outs. Ellis hung a zero in the fourth and allowed just one run in the fifth, pitching a season-high three innings.
 
ASU added a solo shot in the fifth, but Acosta got it back with his own home run in the top of the sixth.
 
The Rams scored two more in the seventh before Tyler Manyo got back-to-back outs to strand the bases loaded. One final ASU run came across in the eighth.
 
Lubbock Christian placed five on the LSC All-Tournament team, including McCool, Gibson, Acosta, Ogilvie and Aydan Alger.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.553 | The Chaps slugged .553 in their four games in San Angelo this weekend, collecting seven doubles and nine home runs at Foster Field
78 | With their nine homers on the weekend, Lubbock Christian has now hit 78 on the season, which is the most by a Chaparral team in at least the last eight seasons, which is as far back as those statistics are available
.429 | Two-out hitting was the key for the Chaps in the matchup with SEU as they staved off elimination. LCU hit .429 in those situations and had five two-out RBI, while the Hilltoppers hit .200 and had just one two-out run
 
NEXT UP
The Lubbock Christian baseball season is not over yet, but it's not quite certain where they'll end up next. They will find out their seeding and NCAA South Central Regional destination at 10 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 14 at ncaa.com/video.