LUBBOCK, Texas – The No.9 Angelo State baseball team fell to No.10 Lubbock Christian, 7-6, on Friday evening.

The Rams drop to 5-2 on the season with the loss despite the offense stroking 10 hits and starting pitcher Bryce Zak tossing 10 strikeouts. As a team, ASU posted a .294 team batting average with Sam Kohler going 3-for-4 and Paxton DeLaGarza 2-for-4 at the plate. LCU remained undefeated with the win and now sit at 8-0 for the year.

The two teams battled through the first three innings, and it would not be until the top of the fourth that the Rams would place the first runs on the board. DeLaGarza and Kohler were plated off of the first of five errors that the Chaps would commit to give the Rams a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, LCU would bring the score back to even with a run coming off a ground out to second with men on second and third followed by a single to short with man on third.  

At the top of the seventh a RBI single by Michael Urquidi scored Jay Gonzales to make the game 3-2. Then Christian Abilla hit into a fielder's choice which plated David Goggin. With the score now 4-2, Kohler hit an RBI single of his that allowed Abilla to cross. The Rams would close out the half inning with a 5-2 lead.

After LCU added another run in the bottom of the seventh, Jay Gonzales would score the Rams sixth and last run of the game off of an error by the catcher as he tried to catch Elias Aguirre stealing second base. Late in the bottom of the eighth the Chaps would rally, plating four to make the final score 7-6 in their favor.   

Zak produced his longest outing of the season throwing six and two thirds of an inning. He sat down 10 for the second time this season, however, he gave up seven hits and three runs. Graylon Brown would come in and toss one and one-third of an inning in relief giving up four hits and four runs. This would earn the senior his first loss of the season.   

Angelo State returns to Hays Field in Lubbock, Texas at 2 p.m. tomorrow for game two of the series. Matt Shannon will get the call to start on the hill for the Rams tomorrow.