KINGSVILLE, Texas – Ryan Greer hit a two-run single and
Andrew LaCombe tacked on a run-scoring sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning as the No. 4 Angelo State baseball team won its first Lone Star Conference game of the season with a 6-3 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday at Nolan Ryan Field.
The win, which was the first time Angelo State has gone into extra innings this season, came after the Rams suffered a 3-2 loss to the Javelinas in the first game of the day's doubleheader. ASU (17-6, 1-2 LSC) improved to 5-3 in away games with the victory and has still not had a losing streak extend past two games this season. TAMU-Kingsville (12-4, 2-1 LSC) is now 11-3 at home and had a four-game winning streak snapped.
“We just kept hanging in there even though it really never felt like we were going to win it,” ASU head coach Kevin Brook said. “Sometimes during the course of the season you're going to have times when you're not playing well and you need wins like this. It was a huge win for us because it gives us a chance to even the series which is really important.”
Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville conclude the series with a single game at 1 p.m. on Sunday back at Nolan Ryan Field. The Rams will send
Michael Lange (2-0) to the mound, while the Javelinas have announced sophomore right-handed pitcher Dallas Ponder (0-0) as their probable starter.
“We have to get out of here with a split,” Brooks said. “We don't want to start slipping back in the conference race already. Kingsville is a very good team, so splitting with them is not a positive but it's also not the biggest negative in the world.”
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Game at Kingsville, Texas | Nolan Ryan Field | Javelinas lead series 2-1 |
Being stifled in the first two games of the series by Javelina pitching, the Rams regained at least a semblance of their offensive prowess that propelled them up the national rankings.
Toby Semler and
Lee Neumann each had two hits, while
Zach Cohen,
Quaid McKinnon and Greer added to the Rams' seven-hit game. Semler and Neumann lead the team with eight multiple hit games this season, while Greer had three RBI and continues to lead ASU with a .338 batting average.
“Greer did a good job of stepping in there and getting a big hit against a tough lefty,” said Brooks of his left-fielder's game-winning hit against TAMUK's closer Jeremy Flores.
Michael Weatherly (3-0) earned the win on the mound for the Rams, making it two straight times the reliever has claimed the victory in a
James Conlee start. Weatherly went 3.1 innings on Saturday, striking out three and scattering three hits. Conlee went 4.0 innings in his fourth start of the season and struck out five before being relieved by
Austin Church. Weatherly, who also earned a win two weeks ago against Central Oklahoma in relief of Conlee, has now struck out 25 hitters this season in 16.1 innings.
“He was a one-pitch guy without his slider working out there, but he did a great job of competing to overcome that,” said Brooks of Weatherly. “He found a way to get the job done and continues showing us that he is a guy we can go to.”
Doug Snover walked in the first and eighth innings to extend his reached base streak to 16 games, but went without a hit to end a five-game hitting streak.
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Game at Kingsville, Texas | Nolan Ryan Field | Javelinas lead series 2-0 |
TAMUK's Adam Aspaas (4-1) earned the win in the day's first game with a complete-game effort against the offensively challenged Rams. Aspaas struck out five and had a one-hitter going through five innings.
Rick Reyna (3-3) took the loss for the Rams in a 95-pitch complete-game effort. The senior struck out three and kept the Rams in the game, but takes his second straight loss after also falling against UCO two weeks ago.
Snover, Neumann, LaCombe and pinch hitter
Brett Parsons had the hits for the Rams in the game. Neumann delivered ASU's first run of the game on a triple to score Cohen, while Parsons had an infield single that also brought in a last inning run. Neumann's triple was his third of the season which leads the team and is tied for the conference lead.
Angelo State at Texas A&M-Kingsville
TAMUK 4, ASU 1
TAMUK 3, ASU 2;
ASU 6, TAMUK 3
1 p.m. on Sunday at Nolan Ryan Field
Angelo State Rams
Overall Record: 17-6; LSC: 1-2
Streak: Won 1
Rankings: No. 4 Collegiate Baseball; No. 20 NCBWA; No. 21 D2BaseballNews; No. 22 College Baseball Lineup
Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas
Overall Record: 12-4; LSC: 2-1
Streak: Lost 1
Rankings: None
Pitching Matchups
Game 1
WP: Dillon (4-0). LP: Feckley (3-1)
Game 2
WP: Adam Aspaas (4-1). LP:
Rick Reyna (3-3)
Game 3
WP: Michael Weatherly (3-0). LP: Adrian De La Garza (0-1)
Game 4
ASU:
Michael Lange, Jr. (2-0, 2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 11 K)
TAMUK: Dallas Ponder, So. (0-0, 7.11 ERA, 6,1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)
Program vs. Program
Overall Series: ASU leads 19-12
At Nolan Ryan Field: ASU leads 9-6
Last season: TAMUK won series 2-1 at Foster Field
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Angelo State Baseball 2012 Gallery
