ALPINE, Texas (February 8, 2025) – Lubbock Christian scored a combined 41 runs across the two games on Saturday, beating Sul Ross State 25-1 and 16-10 at Kokernot Field.
 
Plenty of Chaps had gawdy offensive numbers for the day, but none better than senior infielder Brevin McCool who started the series strong on Friday with a pair of homers, a double and a single. In Saturday's doubleheader, McCool went a combined 6-for-7 with two walks (one intentional) and a hit-by-pitch. Five of his six hits went for extra bases, with three home runs and two doubles. He scored eight runs and drove in four more. The one time SRSU got McCool out was on a fly ball caught on the warning track in right center field.
 
McCool is now leading the team with a .548 batting average, a .588 on-base percentage and a 1.149 slugging percentage. His seven home runs this season lead the Lone Star Conference.
 
Four other LCU players homered in the 25-1 win, including the first home runs of the season from Shea Bowen, Nicklaus Baumbach, and Johnny Gomez III. Kade York also homered in that contest, blasting the first Chaparral grand slam of the season. The second game saw the first home runs this year from Jacob Gutierrez and Adam Garcia, along with another blast from Baumbach and McCool.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Ryan Markwardt got the start in the first game and earned his first win of the season, allowing just one run on two hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
 
It was a stress-free day for Markwardt from the start, as his offense staked him to a six-run lead before he ever took the mound. It was all singles and free passes for the first couple of runs before York came to the plate with the bases loaded and blasted a homer over the left field wall.
 
McCool's first homer of the day came in the second, as did RBI knocks from Kyle Lewis and Brock Tijerina, increasing the lead to 10-0. McCool homered again in the third before the Chaps really broke the game open in the fourth.
 
Baumbach, Gomez and Bowen all homered in the frame, increasing the LCU lead to 19-0.
 
Markwardt gave up his first hit and only run in the bottom of the fourth, but an RBI double from Ryan Blackwell got it back in the fifth. Carson Shields, coming off the bench, doubled in a run in the sixth and scored on a Gomez single.
 
The Chaps added three more in the seventh, and Tyler Manyo closed out the game on the mound, striking out a pair of Lobo batters in the process.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
The Chaparrals were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Lubbock Christian scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run homer from Baumbach.
 
After the Lobos rallied to tie the ballgame at three, the Chaparrals came back to retake the lead in the fourth inning. Garcia was the man to put them on top, clubbing a leadoff home run that ignited a seven-run frame.
 
Sul Ross State narrowed Lubbock Christian's lead to 10-8 before the Chaparrals stretched the advantage to 12-8 in the fifth inning. The Chaparrals scored twice on solo home runs from Gutierrez and Baumbach.
 
The Lobos fought back, closing the gap to 12-10 until Lubbock Christian added some insurance in the sixth. The Chaparrals scored four runs in the inning, highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of McCool, bringing the score to 16-10 in favor of Lubbock Christian.
 
Dakota McCaskill took over on the mound in the bottom of the sixth and closed out the win, pitching two scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
 
GAME NOTES
» LCU's six home runs in the first game were their most in a single game since May 19, 2024 when they hit six against UT Permian Basin.
» The last time LCU scored more than 25 runs in a game was March 29, 2019, when they scored 28 against Newman.
» McCool now has 37 home runs in his collegiate career, which is tied for the eighth most among active Division II players.
» All nine starters in game one had a base hit and scored at least one run. In fact, eight of them scored multiple runs.