LUBBOCK, Texas-Ā Four different hitters drove in runs for the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team, as the Javelinas fell 9-4 to Lubbock Christian in a Lone Star Conference series opener at Hayes Field on Thursday.Ā
The Javelinas (22-17, 21-16 LSC) fell to the Chapparals (19-15, 18-15 LSC), with juniorĀ Kobe JaramilloĀ (2-4) getting tagged with the loss, whileĀ Abel Coleson (1-1) earned the win in relief and Tyler Manyo (4) the save.Ā
JuniorĀ Jacob RosalesĀ went 2-for-3 at the plate, as redshirt sophomoreĀ Dalton Kramer, redshirt juniorĀ Ivan Duarte, seniorĀ Steven Bonuz, and redshirt sophomoreĀ Ramsey AmadorĀ combined to drive in four runs for the Pack.Ā
The Chaps struck first, using an infield single to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before the Javelinas answered with three runs in the top of the third.Ā
A leadoff triple by Rosales set the tone, with the Mission, Texas native scoring on an RBI by Amador for the Pack's first run of the contest. Following a fielders choice by juniorĀ Garrett Thompson, Kramer smacked a triple into the gap ahead of a sac-fly by Duarte that saw the Javelinas take a 3-1 edge.Ā
LCU knotted things in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a pair of runs off a Javelina miscue for a 3-3 score line.Ā
The Chaps built a three-run cushion, plating a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth before freshmanĀ Marco MartinezĀ came in and issued a pair of strikeouts, stranding a runner in scoring position.Ā
TAMUK got one back in the eighth, using a single by Duarte, an LCU miscue, and a fielders choice ground ball by Bonuz to trim their deficit to two.
Still holding a 6-4 lead, LCU entered their half of the stanza and pushed across three insurance runs for a 9-4 score entering the final frame.Ā
Rosales was plunked, putting a runner on base, but back-to-back strikeouts by Manyo secured the save and an LCU victory in the series opener.
The teams will meet again with a doubleheader set for 2 p.m. on Friday, ahead of the series finale SaturdayĀ at 1 p.m.
Stay up-to-date with everything Javelina baseball atĀ JavelinaAthletics.com, follow the program on TwitterĀ @JavelinaBSB, and see recent news on Facebook atĀ /JavelinaBSB.
