LUBBOCK, Texas (January 31, 2025) - The No. 12 Lubbock Christian Chaparrals put together a spirited Opening Day comeback, scoring two runs in the ninth to force extras, but it wasn't enough as No. 16 UT Tyler escaped with a 7-6 win.
 
Junior Liam Scott (0-1) took the loss on the mound for Lubbock Christian (0-1), giving up the go-ahead run in relief in the 10th. Senior Lex Garcia started the ballgame and went five innings, surrendering three runs, all earned, on three hits, walking one and striking out five.

At the plate, the Chaparrals were led by senior Shea Bowen, who went 2-for-5 on the day with a triple and an RBI. Junior Kyle Lewis made an impact in his first appearance as a Chap, going 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI out of the nine hole.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Patriots took an early lead in the top half of the first, but the Chaparrals got it back in the second inning of a game that started out looking like a pitcher's duel. It was a bases-loaded walk from Lewis that drove in Brock Tijerina for the first run of the 2025 season.

The game remained tied until the fourth inning, when the Chaparrals got going again on offense. It was Lewis again, who this time hit a grounder that hopped over the UTT shortstop, allowing two runs to score.
Lubbock Christian's lead had disappeared by the time the eighth inning arrived and turned into a 6-3 Texas-Tyler advantage. Bowen led off the frames with a triple off the center field wall, scoring when Jacob Gutierrez followed with an opposite field single into right field.

Jase Schueller, who had gotten the final two outs in the top of the eighth, kept the Patriots off the board in the ninth, striking out a pair and getting a lineout to center field. It proved to be an important inning of relief.

Garrett Arredondo was brought on in the save situation for UT Tyler and looking to be cruising to the win, when he quickly got the first two batters of the inning. Then with two outs, Ryan Blackwell, who had come on as a defensive substitution at catcher in the eighth, drew a walk.

Lewis followed with an infield single and the Frayner Chavez collected his first base hit of the season to score Blackwell. Bowen followed with another RBI single to tie the game at 6-6, and Gutierrez came inches away from tying it on a popup to shallow center that the Patriot shortstop nearly let drop, but the game went to extras instead.

Scott allowed a single run in the 10^th on a groundout before getting a double play to end the frame, and the Chaps couldn't do anything with Nicklaus Baumbach's leadoff single in the bottom of the frame.
 
GAME NOTES
» Lubbock Christian went 3-for-8 (.375) with runners in scoring position.
» Chap pitchers limited Texas-Tyler to just 2-for-15 (.133) with runners in scoring position.
» LCU falls to 34-21 in season-openers, including 15-7 under head coach Nathan Blackwood.
» Jacob Gutierrez's single in the eighth extended his on-base streak to 39 straight games.
» Lubbock Christian is now 8-13 all-time against UT Tyler in the 21 meetings between the two programs.