LCU baseball drops super regional opener to Angelo State

Staff Report

Caleb Heuertz threw five innings of scoreless relief and Conagher Sands singled and scored in the 10th as Angelo State beat the Lubbock Christian University baseball team 7-6 Friday night in the first game of a best-of-three super regional series at Hays Field.

Angelo State (40-18), ranked No. 17 and seeded No. 6 in the South Central Region, ended a 13-game win streak by LCU (44-15), which is ranked No. 4 and seeded No. 1 in the region.

The two teams play again at 2 p.m. Saturday with LCU needing to win twice to advance to the championship site of the Division II NCAA tournament in Cary, North Carolina. One win will send Angelo State back to Cary, where it won the D-II national championship last year.

Nate Van Maanen homered and drove in four runs for LCU.

LCU relief pitcher Chris Shull (5-2) retired the first two batters in the 10th before Sands singled through the left side. He took second on a delayed steal and continued home on two errors.

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Heuertz (1-1) retired the Chaparrals in order in the bottom of the 10th. The senior from Wall replaced starter Dax Dathe in the sixth inning and went the rest of the way, striking out six and yielding two hits.

Heuertz entered with two on, no outs and a 6-4 lead. Ryan Ball's RBI single and Van Maanen's run-scoring groundout tied the game, and it remained that way until the 10th.

Shull allowed only one hit in the four innings and struck out seven.

LCU led early. Jacob Gutierrez hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and Van Maanen unloaded a three-run homer in the third. The drive down the left-field line was his 11th of the season.

The Chaps stranded 13 runners, seven in scoring position.

Angelo State drew even in the fifth, getting a two-run single from Tayten Tredaway, an RBI single from Jacob Guerrero and a run-scoring fielder's choice by Tripp Clark. The Rams went ahead when Sands and Weston Valasek homered back to back leading off the sixth.

Valasek's drive chased starting pitcher Aydan Alger.

Angelo State players celebrate a go-ahead run in the 10th inning by Conagher Sands (12) in a super-regional series opener against Lubbock Christian University on Friday night at Hays Field. Angelo State won 7-6 in 10 innings, taking a one-game lead in the best-of-three series in the Division II NCAA tournament.
Angelo State players celebrate a go-ahead run in the 10th inning by Conagher Sands (12) in a super-regional series opener against Lubbock Christian University on Friday night at Hays Field. Angelo State won 7-6 in 10 innings, taking a one-game lead in the best-of-three series in the Division II NCAA tournament.
Lubbock Christian University first baseman Nate Van Maanen (21) celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run homer against Angelo State in a super-regional series opener Friday at Hays Field. The home run gave LCU a 4-0 lead in the third inning, and Angelo State won 7-6 in 10 innings.
Lubbock Christian University first baseman Nate Van Maanen (21) celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run homer against Angelo State in a super-regional series opener Friday at Hays Field. The home run gave LCU a 4-0 lead in the third inning, and Angelo State won 7-6 in 10 innings.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: LCU baseball drops super regional opener to Angelo State

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