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SAN ANGELO – The No. 10-ranked Angelo State baseball team dropped its first series since the 2011 season following a 16-7 non-conference loss to Lubbock Christian in the series finale on Sunday at Foster Field.

The Chaps (9-2) won the series 2-1 against the Rams (8-3) who went all of 2012 without losing a single series. ASU, which committed a season-high three errors, saw LCU score seven runs in the third inning and five in the ninth and out hit the Rams 18-11 in the game. The Rams struck out 13 times in the game and left seven runners on base.

“We learned some positive things about our team this weekend but also some things that we need to sure up,” ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. “We have to get more consistent in our approaches at the plate and cut our strikeouts down. You can't strikeout like we're doing and put together big innings. We have to start with the small things and refocus on what our team does well.”

Quaid McKinnon, Ryan Greer and Lee Neumann led the Rams with two hits each. Neumann hit two doubles, while McKinnon and Greer each had one. Christian Summers added a solo home run for his second homer of the season with a shot to right field in the third inning. ASU led 3-1 after the first two innings following Tyler Coughenour scoring on a steal of home in the first inning and a David Goggin RBI single in the second. Goggin scored the third run on a balk call on LCU starter Jarrett Porter (1-1).

Angelo State starter Bryant Rutledge (0-1) received the loss after giving up eight runs on nine hits in 2.1 innings in his first start of the season. Rutledge struck out two and walked one before being relieved by Bryce Zak who went 4.1 innings in his first outing from the bullpen this season. Zak struck out three in his third appearance this season and limited the Chaps to three runs on three hits.

Porter earned the win after striking out eight and allowing five earned runs in a 122-pitch seven-inning performance for the Chaps. Brent Leslie, Jason Fisch and Brennyn Smith each had three hits for LCU which hit four home runs and four doubles in the game.

“There were times out there that we acted like a team that is young and inexperienced,” Brook said. “That's not the team that we are. We let the emotions of some moments get to us and we can't do that. We are wiser than that.”  

Angelo State, which is now 3-3 at Foster Field this season, returns to action next weekend with a four-game series at Colorado State-Pueblo.