SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State baseball team began the day celebrating its nine seniors and completed it in championship fashion as it clinched the Lone Star Conference title and secured the right to host the 2016 Lone Star Conference tournament with a sweep of Tarleton State (2-1, 8-2) on Saturday.
The Rams completed its 2016 regular season going 32-18 overall and 25-10 in LSC play. This marked the third time (2007, 2012, 2016) since the program's inception in 2005 that ASU has won the LSC title. Rams pitchers, Graylon Brown (6-6) and Kenton Schroter (3-0) both earned wins with their performances on the mound. Brown (8) also recorded his 25th career saves and claimed the top spot in the Lone Star Conference history books as the all-time career saves leader. The Rams offense outhit the Texans 7-5 in the first game and 14-11 in the second game. With the pair of losses, TSU completed its season with a 20-28, 14-20 LSC record. Texan pitchers, Trevor Renfro (8-4) and Blain Bagley (1-5), were credited with the losses.
Down 0-1 in the final inning of game one with Christian Abilla on second base, Michael Urquidi poked a RBI single through the left side to force extra innings. Then in the bottom of the eight the Rams clinched the victory as senior Jarryd Klemm took advantage of an error by the TSU second baseman and crossed. The Texans were first to place a run on the board during the game with a solo homer in the fourth.
Bryce Zak started the game for Angelo State and pitched seven solid innings, giving up one run on four hits. The senior retired double digit hitters (10) on strikes for the seventh time this season, and is only 13 strikes away from taking the top spot for single season strikeouts in ASU history. Joe Hauser and Brown entered in the final inning, with Hauser giving up one hit in 2/3 of an inning and Brown taking the win with a phenomenal pick-off move to second that caught a sleeping runner for the final out.
Urquidi led the Rams offense in game one going 2-for-3 at the dish, recording a double and the team's only RBI. Klemm stroked the only triple and Abilla pocketed the squad's only stolen base for the game.
The Rams got out to an early 2-0 start in the bottom of the first with a pair of back-to-back RBI doubles from Paxton DeLaGarza and Klemm. Then in the third the two were back at it as they each added another RBI to their numbers giving ASU a 4-0 lead. The Texans finally got on the board in the fifth with a solo home run cutting the ASU lead to three. DeLaGarza answered in the bottom half of the inning smashing a solo shot of his own to regain the four run lead at 5-1.
In the seventh DeLaGarza would plate Elias Aguirre for the third time of the day with a sac fly that was caught on the warning track in deep center. TSU then took advantage of a bases loaded situation and plated it final run of the day. In the bottom half of the inning, the Rams recorded its second two double inning. This time it was Tyler Coolbaugh and David Goggin that chalked up the pair of RBI doubles, which pushed the score to 8-2.
Jayden O'Dell received the start in this game and tossed a stellar 4 1/3 innings giving up one run on four hits and striking out six Texans. Schroter then entered putting in 3 1/3 innings of work. The game winner gave up a single run on three hits and recorded one strikeout. Dustin Angiel and Brown completed the pitching committee. Brown closed the game out with 1 1/3 innings left giving up three hits.
DeLaGarza led the offensive attack in game two turning in a 2-for-2 performance at the plate recording four RBIs, two runs, a double and a home run. Coolbaugh and Aguirre led the team with three hits each. The two along with Klemm and Goggin also recorded doubles during the game. Around the bases, Abilla and Goggin recorded stolen bases while Aguirre led the Rams with three runs scored.
Angelo State will return to Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium for the 2016 LSC Baseball Tournament, which will run from Thursday, May 12 through Saturday, May 14.
