SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State baseball team started off the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament strong Thursday night, defeating Cameron 8-5 in the first round.
The Rams earned their 40th win of the season with the victory over the Aggies (29-19), marking the 6th 40-win season in the history of the program.
Ryan Smith started the games on the mound for ASU in a game that lasted more than three hours at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium. Smith went five and one third innings, giving up five earned runs but striking out eight batters and earning the win. The senior hurler is now and 11-0 on the season.
Smith gave up a run early in the game after the Cameron leadoff batter, Leno Martinez, doubled and then scored. The Rams got the run back in the bottom half of the inning, however, when Aguirre reached base on an error and came around to score on a single from Tyler Coolbaugh.
The Rams then jumped out in front in the bottom of the third inning, sending 11 batters to the plate overall. Jonathan Soberanes led off the innings with a triple, his second of the season. The next four ASU batters all reached base and scored, helping the Rams build a 6-2 lead.
Cameron got back in the game with three runs in the sixth inning, pushing Smith out of the game for reliever Joe Hauser who ended the scoring threat.
ASU pushed across another run in the sixth inning for insurance and Hauser kept the Aggies off the board in the seventh, eighth and ninth. The three and two thirds shutout innings earned Hauser his 13th save of the season, setting the new ASU single-season record. Hauser topped former Ram pitcher Graylon Brown's total of 12 in 2016.
The Rams will now take on West Texas A&M in the second round of the tournament at 12 p.m. Friday at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium. The Buffs topped Texas A&M-Kingsville in round one of the LSC Tournament 3-0 on Thursday.
