LUBBOCK, Texas (February 1, 2025) – No. 12 Lubbock Christian struggled on the mound Saturday, dropping both ends of a doubleheader to No. 16 UT Tyler, 18-6 and 16-4.
 
It is the first series loss for the Chaps since their first home series last season, when they dropped three of four to UT Permian Basin Feb. 8-10, 2024. LCU will still have a chance to get a win in the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the two teams meet for the finale at Hays Field.
 
The Chaps were not able to take as much advantage of the wind blowing out as the Patriots, but did get a pair of home runs from infielder Brevin McCool – one in each game – and one from shortstop Kade York.
 
GAME ONE
LCU was behind the eight ball almost from the start, as UTT got a leadoff double and an RBI single from the first two batters of the game. They would go on to score four more runs in the frame before Chaparral starter Ryan Markwardt got the third out, which came on a caught stealing by catcher Adam Garcia.
 
Markwardt hung zeroes in the second and third, but the Chap offense was unable to cut into the deficit. The Patriots tacked on four more runs in the top of the fourth.
 
McCool's first homer of the day came in the bottom of that frame, scoring himself and Nicklaus Baumbach, who had singled. UT Tyler answered right back with three more runs in the top of the fifth though, leading 12-2.
 
Lubbock Christian's final four runs of the game came in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of a Patriot error to start the frame. Kyle Lewis followed with a single before York drove in the runners and himself with a blast over the left field wall. Shea Bowen followed with a single and came around to score on a base hit from Brock Tijerina before the inning ended.
 
UT Tyler tacked on three runs apiece in the sixth and seventh.
 
GAME TWO
The start was better for the Chaps in the nightcap, as junior Evan Roach sat down the Patriots in order in the first, including a pair of strikeouts. But Roach was touched up for two runs in the second and five more in the third as UTT built a lead LCU would not be able to overcome.
 
LCU did get on the board in the second, on McCool's second home run of the day, which led off the inning.
 
They scored three more in the bottom of the fourth, but by that time the Patriots had 13 runs of their own. The Chaparral scoring was started with a two-out triple from Eric Arreola, who scored on a Ryan Blackwell single. Blackwell scored on a pinch-hit single from Johnny Gomez III, and York drove in another run before the frame ended.
 
UT Tyler added runs in the sixth and seventh to close out the game.
 
GAME NOTES
» After an 0-5 performance on Opening Day, McCool went 4-8 in the doubleheader, raising his batting average to .308.
» Jacob Gutierrez had his 39-game on-base streak, which dated back to last season, snapped in the first game of the doubleheader
» Logan Moore and Stoney Rhodes were the only two pitchers not to allow a run on the day. Rhodes got two outs in game one, giving up two hits with no runs. Moore entered with the bases loaded in the sixth of game two, getting a strikeout and a double play to escape the jam.