TYLER, Texas (May 8, 2026) — Lubbock Christian University stayed alive at the Lone Star Conference Tournament, upsetting No. 22 St. Mary's 7-1 behind a strong start from
Aaron Rubio.
The Chaparrals capitalized on the Rattlers' four errors and scored in six different frames, while Rubio and
Kyle England combined for 12 strikeouts and no earned runs allowed.
Lubbock Christian opened the game with an early lead for a second-straight day as
Kyle Lewis once again walked to lead off, advancing to second on a throwing error.
Jorge De Los Santos then singled down the left field line, bringing Lewis home for an unearned run.
In the third inning, De Los Santos started a two-out rally with a single up the middle and was driven in by
Owen Alsup's double to right center, extending the lead to two runs.
The fourth inning saw
Carlos Mauldin reach on a throwing error, advance to third, and score on
Tanner Pachorek's RBI single, again with two outs. StMU responded with an unearned run, but the Chaps maintained a 3-1 lead through four innings.
Hudson Grace walked in the fifth inning, advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on another fielding error. And in the sixth, a double by Pachorek and an RBI single by Grace added another run to the board for the Chaps, making it 5-1.
Lubbock Christian's
Roe Forrest homered to right field in the eighth inning, and Lewis scored on a wild pitch later in the frame, further extending the lead to 7-1.
Rubio delivered an impressive performance on the mound, pitching 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and allowing no earned runs while scattering five hits. He threw a total of 95 pitches, 61 of which were strikes. England provided strong relief, pitching 2 1/3 innings and striking out five of the eight batters he faced.
GAME NOTES:
- Forrest's home run was his team-leading 10th of the season and his first since April 3 at West Texas A&M.
- The win for Rubio is his 10th of the season. He is the first LSC pitcher to reach the double-digit win mark in 2026.
- Rubio and England combined to limit the Rattlers to a .182 average with runners on base, including .167 with runners in scoring position.
- Rubio has now pitched 13 2/3 straight innings without allowing an earned run. His last earned run allowed came on 4/25 against UT Permian Basin.
- The Chaps hit .333 (5-for-15) with two outs, getting three of their five RBI in those situations.
NEXT UP:
Lubbock Christian will face the loser of the game between UT Tyler and Angelo State at 7 p.m. at Irwin Field in Tyler, Texas.
