SAN ANGELO - The No. 8 Angelo State baseball team rallied from a deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning for the second time this season as Mitch Henshaw worked an RBI walk with one out for a 7-6 win against No. 6 Lubbock Christian at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.
The Rams (6-1) got down in an early 3-0 hole to the Chaparrals (7-2) and went down 6-3 again later in the game, but were able to get runners on base to lead off the bottom of the ninth and earn their second comeback win of the season.
Both the Rams and Chaps racked up 12 hits in the game, but Angelo State worked eight walks in the game compared to just two for LCU. ASU stranded 10 runners, while LCU stranded nine.
Racking up a third of the team's hits on his own was one of the Ram captain and catcher Matt Waller. Waller put on his best hitting performance of the year so far, going 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a pair of singles and a walk. Waller also swiped two bags against the Chaparrals and scored the game-winning run in the game.
The walkoff walk earned pitcher Jake Mathys his first win of the season. Junior Matt Shannon started the games on the mound for ASU, throwing 4.2 innings and giving up four earned runs in the process. Mathys followed Shannon in relief and proceeded to pitch 4.1 scoreless innings, only giving up four hits in the process.
Lubbock Christian got on the board first in the game against Shannon, as Caleb Koedyker hit a three-run home run over the right field wall for an early lead. The Rams got the three runs back in the bottom of the second as Waller had his first double of the game. Tyler Coolbaugh followed with a triple of his own, and a single from Michael Urquidi put the second run of the day on the board. Elias Aguirre finished off the three-run inning with a single to center field that scored Urquidi.
The Chaparrals had another three-run inning in the fifth thanks to yet another home run from Koedyker. ASU got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning after a bunt single from Aguirre to lead off the inning and hits from Jacob Boston and Steven Pinales brought the outfielder around to score.
ASU complete the comeback with one more three-run inning in the ninth. Brent Bezio came in to pitch for LCU and started off by walking Jacob Boston. Jay Gonzales the next batter up and got hit by a pitch, putting two on with nobody out. Pinales bunted both of the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, and Waller followed with a two-strike single to plate the Rams' fifth run of the game. The game ended with three straight walks, plating two runs and winning the game for ASU.
The Rams will continue the series with game two at 5 p.m. on Saturday followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.
