Box Score

SAN ANGELO – Texas A&M-Kingsville scored six runs over the final two innings to take a 12-9 Lone Star Conference win over Angelo State in the series finale on Sunday and left Foster Field with a 3-1 series win.  

“It was a disappointing series for us,” ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. “We didn't hit well or pitch well. We have to get a lot better and figure this out. Guys are going to have to step up and start throwing and hitting better than they're doing right now.”

The Rams (15-9, 1-3 LSC) fall to 8-7 at home after dropping only four games at home in 2012, while the Javelinas (18-5, 3-1 LSC) improved to 12-2 away from Kingsville. ASU, which lost its first conference series since the 2011 season, was limited to a .275 team batting average opposed to A&M-Kingsville hitting .363 in the series.

“There are a lot of things we need to work on,” ASU senior Andrew LaCombe said. “We have to step up with our two-out hitting. We are leaving a lot of guys on base and aren't coming through in clutch situations. There are aspects in all areas of the game that need improving and we have to start playing better right now.”

Mile Holcomb (2-0) earned the win for Texas A&M-Kingsville in relief, while Jeremy Flores recorded a six-out save for his sixth save of the season. Michael Lange (2-1) receives the loss for the Rams after coming into the game in the fifth inning. Lange allowed three runs in 3.1 innings of work and was the fourth pitcher of the day for ASU. The Rams would use seven pitchers in the game after starter Bryant Rutledge left the game in the first inning with two outs and three Javelina runs already on the scoreboard.

Texas A&M-Kingsville outhit the Rams 20-10 in a game in which neither team committed an error, but also one that saw ASU allow two runs to score in the eighth inning on wild pitches and another when ASU pitcher James Conlee hit Matt Perez with the bases loaded to score a run and give the Javelinas an 8-7 lead after they went into the inning trailing by a run. The bottom of the eighth inning saw A&M-Kingsville score four runs and a 10-7 lead.

LaCombe led the Rams with two doubles and two RBI in the game, while Lee Neumann and Christian Summers both added two singles and one RBI each. Neumann scored the first run of the game for the Rams in the first inning with a steal at home, while the Rams would score four runs on four hits in the third inning to grab their first lead of the game at 5-3. LaCombe highlighted the inning with a double to score Quaid McKinnon and Summers, while Ryan Greer followed with an RBI single to center field that brought LaCombe in.

Brett David hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for the final runs of the game for the Rams. The home run was the first of the season for David and the second of his career.

ASU went 3 for 10 with two outs in the game and stranded 11 runners on base.

LaCombe finished the series with six hits, including three doubles and also had two RBI and four runs scored. Tyler Coughenour, Summers and Greer each added four hits, while McKinnon and David Goggin had three hits. Greer was 5 for 5 on stolen bases in the series and is now tied with Coughenour for the team lead with 14 for the season.

Neumann, who was limited to three hits in 12 at-bats in the series, leads the team with a .379 batting average this season with Reggie Rodriguez hitting .370. Both Neumann and Rodriguez were hitting .400 entering the series.

Angelo State returns to action next weekend with a 1-2-1 series at Incarnate Word which dropped its series 3-1 at Abilene Christian this weekend. Tarleton State, which swept Eastern New Mexico this weekend, leads the conference race through the opening weekend, while West Texas A&M and Cameron are both at 2-2 after splitting their series in Lawton, Okla.

“I think it's going to be a battle that we have to win,” Brooks said. “They are in the same position we are in and we have to be better than we were this week.”