LUBBOCK - The Angelo State baseball team lost to Lubbock Christian 12-5 Sunday afternoon, forcing a series-deciding game three on Monday.
The Rams (7-2) gave up 12 hits while collecting 11 of their own, but the Chaps (2-4) parlayed their hits into 12 runs while the ASU got just five.
"We just did a lot of the things you can't do if you want to win a game," Angelo State head baseball coach Kevin Brooks said. "It wasn't quite as bad as the final score indicated, but we made too many mistakes and a good team like Lubbock Christian take advantage of things like that."
LCU got on the board early, scoring twice in the second inning. ASU starting pitcher Carson Childers gave up back-to-back one-out walks, which both ended up coming around to score for a second-inning Chap lead.
The Rams quickly got on top, however, in the third inning. Catcher Alex Salcido got the rally going with a leadoff homerun, his first of the season. Elias Aguirre then followed with a double and came around to score on a single from Nicholas Novak. ASU took the lead when third basemen Jacob Boston singled home Novak.
In the bottom of the third, the Chaps tied up the game again with a run of their own.
Angelo State's final two runs of the day came in the top of the fifth inning, as Mitch Henshaw hit a one-out single and Boston followed with a walk. Henshaw came around to score on a single from Andrew Morales and Bradley Mathiowetz drove in Boston with an RBI double.
ASU coughed up the lead again in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff single knocked Childers from the mound, but reliever Josh Barnett was unable to shut down the Chaps either, recording just one out and giving up a three-run homer before leaving the game himself.
Lubbock Christian added one more run in the inning and ASU was never able to catch back up the rest of the way.
Cole Brandon replaced Barnett on the mound and pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh inning, but the Chaps finally got to him in the eighth. LCU added four runs in the ninth, three of which were credited to Brandon and one of which went to Trent Baker, who finished off the inning.
The Rams got a pair of runners on with one out in their final chance to come back in the top of the ninth inning, but the Chaps shut down the rally to earn their second victory of the season.
ASU will face LCU in one final game, playing the series finale at 3 p.m. on Monday.
