AUSTIN, Texas (May 3, 2026) — Lubbock Christian University took an early lead and held off a ninth-inning rally by St. Edward's to win 8-6 on Sunday at Lucian-Hamilton Field.
LCU's win improved them to 33-19 on the year and gave them a series win in the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. They will now advance to the final site and play in a double-elimination tournament at the No. 1 seed UT Tyler.
The Chaparral offense picked up right where it left on Saturday, getting a solo home run by Jorge de los Santos to left field in the first inning to put them ahead 1-0. In the second inning,
Ryan Gargett extended the lead with a home run if his own, but the Hilltoppers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame.
LCU's scoring streak stayed alive in the third, as
Freddie Nolen drew a walk. He scored on a fielder's choice by De Los Santos, avoiding a tag by the Hilltopper catcher to escape a rundown and slide in safely. However, SEU quickly tied it again with a run in their half of the third inning, bringing the score to 3–3.
The fourth inning saw a breakthrough for the Chaps. They put their first two runners on and
Chase Ditmar delivered a two-RBI double, followed by a Nolen RBI double.
Hudson Grace added an RBI triple, pushing the score to 7–3 in favor of the Chaparrals.
Lubbock Christian's bats went silent for a stretch after the fourth, ending their scoring streak at seven-straight innings going back to yesterday's game. But left-handed pitcher
Kyle England had entered the game out of the bullpen for the Chaps in in the third, and he was consistently keeping the Hilltoppers off the board as well.
In the seventh inning,
Carlos Mauldin's sacrifice fly brought home another run for LCU, making it 8–3. The Hilltoppers managed one run in their half to cut the deficit back to four, but they went scoreless against
Isaiah Gonzalez in the eighth.
LCU loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs, but were unable to add any insurance. That proved important in the bottom of the ninth when SEU started to rally. The Hilltoppers loaded the bases with no outs, forcing Gonzalez from the game for
Caden Cline.
Cline walked a batter to make the game 8-5 and was replaced by
Evan Roach. The senior right-hander gave up up a single that made the deficit just two runs, but bounced back with three straight strikeouts to slam the door and win the game.
GAME NOTES:
- The Chaps are now 18-9 in their six appearances at the Lone Star Conference Tournament, including 11-3 in first-round games. They have won the first-round series in five of their six tourney trips.
- LCU's pitching staff combined to limit SEU to a .254 batting average on the weekend, and only one of their 16 hits went for extra bases.
- The 14 runners left on base by the Hilltoppers is the third-most by a Chaparral opponent this season. The season-high is 15, which has happened twice.
- Roach's three strikeouts gave him his second save of the season and the 11th by a Chap this year. It is tied for the third-most by an LCU team in the NCAA era (since 2016). They had 15 in 2017 and 14 in 2024.
- Nolen led the Chaparral offense in the series, going 4-for-6 (.667) with a pair of walks. Three of his four hits were doubles and he scored three times.
NEXT UP:
Lubbock Christian's upset of the No. 4 seeded Hilltoppers sends them on to the final round of the LSC Tournament. They will take on the No. 1 seed UT Tyler at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Irwin Field in Tyler, Texas.
