KINGSVILLE, Texas (March 21, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University played a pair of tightly contested games against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, winning 3-2 in game one but falling 11-9 late in the second game to split the doubleheader at Nolan Ryan Field.
 
It took a seventh-inning double from Jorge De Los Santos to push across the winning run for the Chaps in the opening game, but the Javelinas returned the favor in the nightcap, rallying for four two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth to beat the Chaps in a game that they had never trailed until that point.
 
Lubbock Christian is now 15-14 on the season, while Texas A&M-Kingsville is 17-12.
 
GAME ONE
It was a pitcher's duel to start the day, as Karson Dunn for the Chaps and Zachary Wright for the Javelinas matched each other zero for zero through the first three frames.
 
The Chaparrals finally broke through in the fourth inning when Jorge De Los Santos walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Freddie Nolen's RBI single to shallow right field allowed De Los Santos to score, giving the Chaps a 1-0 lead.
 
TAMUK answered right back though and tied the game in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly that brought in Landon Salinas, making it 1-1 through four innings.
 
In the fifth inning, Dylan Marx walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch before De Los Santos drove him in with a single through the right side to put the Chaps back on top.
 
Dunn put up a shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth, but the Javelinas responded in the sixth inning with an RBI double by Cade Minus, tying the score at 2-2 off reliever Isaiah Gonzales.
 
LCU answered one more time in the seventh, and De Los Santos was involved again. Kyle Lewis led off the rally with a single and was sacrificed over to second. De Los Santos then doubled him home for the winning run.
 
Gonzalez closed out the game, but had to work around a pair of singles to do it, eventually inducing a groundout to end the game.
 
Dunn delivered a solid five-inning performance. He allowed only three hits and one earned run while striking out four batters and walking two. Dunn's efficient outing required 81 pitches, with 46 of those being strikes. Gonzalez earned the win in relief, pitching two innings and giving up three hits and one earned run, with two walks and two strikeouts.
 
GAME TWO
The Chaps opened the second game on the right foot with two runs in the first inning. Lewis doubled down the left field line, and after advancing to third, he scored on a groundout by Jorge De Los Santos. Nolen later scored on a single by Carlos Mauldin, giving the Chaps a 2–0 lead, but they stranded the bases loaded. TAMUK answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, setting the tone for the back-and-forth affair.
 
In the second inning, the Chaparrals added three runs. Lewis singled and eventually scored on a single by De Los Santos. Nolen doubled in De Los Santos, and Owen Alsup drove in Nolen with a single, pushing the Chaps ahead 5–2. The Javelinas again responded with two runs in their half, narrowing the gap to 5–4 through two innings.
 
Lubbock Christian was held scoreless for the first time in the third, while TAMUK added one run, tying the game at 5–5.
 
In the fourth, the Chaparrals regained the lead with three runs and chased the Javelina starter from the game. Hudson Grace and De Los Santos both scored on a throwing error, and Nolen scored on a fielder's choice by Ryan Gargett. This offensive burst put the Chaps ahead 8–5, and Aaron Rubio worked a shutdown bottom half to keep the lead there, but TAMUK scored twice in the fifth to pull back within a run.
 
In the sixth inning, Mauldin hit a solo home run for the Chaparrals, extending the lead to 9–7. With Evan Roach on the mound in the bottom half of the inning, the Javelinas hit into two quick outs, but then rallied with five straight hits, scoring four runs and taking the lead 11-9.
 
The Chaps got a one-out walk in the seventh, but failed to rally.
 
GAME NOTES

• The five earned runs LCU scored off Javelina starting pitcher James Placke are the most he has allowed in a game this season
• Jorge De Los Santos is batting .500 against the Javelinas with 10 total bases and a slugging percentage of 1.000
• Mauldin's game two homer was the 34^th of the season by a Chaparral, keeping them in the league lead
• The Chaps struck out 19 more times in the two games combined and are second in the LSC in that category this season with 327
• Allowing just one earned run in five innings, Dunn lowered his ERA to 3.63, which is the fourth-best in the Lone Star Conference

 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will look to salvage a series split on Sunday in the finale, which is set for 1 p.m. at Nolan Ryan Field.