SAN ANGELO – An error ended it, but this time that was a good thing for the Angelo State baseball team.

Trailing 8-6 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Rams rallied with two hits and took advantage of an error by Eastern New Mexico third baseman Sam Hendrick to earn a 9-8 Lone Star Conference walk-off win over the Greyhounds in the series opener on Friday at Foster Field.

"It was a huge win for our confidence moving forward," said ASU senior Christian Summers, who went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs. "We've been in a lot of games like this one the past two weeks and they haven't been going our way. To get this win shows us that if we keep believing in ourselves that we can turn this around. It's a big series for us and tonight was just the first step to what we want to accomplish this weekend."

ASU (18-12, 8-9 LSC) is now 8-6 in one-run games and improved to 9-4 at home this season. After a Blake Cooper two-run home run in the top of the ninth for ENMU (15-14, 5-12 LSC), the Rams rallied with Tyler Coughenour getting it started with a one-out infield single. He would advance to third base when he was hit by a throw in the back with ENMU attempting to turn a double play on a grounder to first base by David Goggin. With runners at first and third, Summers singled to right field to bring in Coughenour and cut the deficit to one. Goggin and Summers advanced on a double steal and Derek Tyner tied the game at eight with a sacrifice fly to right field. On the first pitch he saw, Blake Bass sent a slow grounder to third which Hendrick couldn't handle as Goggin touched home plate and gave the Rams the win.  

"I thought our team showed up to the park tonight and were ready to battle and compete," ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. "Even when we got down throughout the game and things weren't looking so good, I never saw our guys giving up. We found another gear that has been lacking the past two weeks and had a fire lit under us that we responded to."

Graylon Brown (3-2) recorded the win for the Rams after securing the final out in the top of the ninth on a ground out to the mound after the Greyhounds had taken a two-run lead when Cooper hit his home run off ASU reliever Jamie MacLean. ASU starter Jake Feckley did not receive a decision after striking out three and seeing five runs score on eight hits in 6.2 innings of work. Keigan Basso (3-3) took the loss for ENMU after surrendering the three runs in the ninth. ENMU starter Ben Monticello struck out eight in 8.0 innings before Basso attempted to close out the game in the ninth.

Summers, who was named the LSC Hitter of the Week on Monday, hit his second home run of the season in the sixth inning with a blast into the right-field bullpen at Foster Field which took the score to 4-3 going to the seventh. ENMU added to its lead with two runs in the top of the seventh, but once again ASU responded with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the inning. Bass opened the inning with a single on a 0-2 count and scored on a Hunter Choate groundout which was followed by Cameron Massengill scoring on a Reggie Rodriguez groundout. With two outs, Summers delivered an RBI single to left field to tie the game at six.

"We were fired up by them and I really think it got us going and made us more determined to win this game," said Massengill, who went 3-for-4 in the game including a seventh inning double. "We knew we needed to win tonight and now we know we need to win the next one. We weren't going to give up on this one."

Coughenour and Nehwon Norkeh each had two hits in the game for the Rams, while Tyner went 1-for-4 with two RBI. The Rams finished the game with 13 hits and two errors, while ENMU also had 13 hits but committed three errors in the field.

The Rams and Greyhounds will continue the series at 4 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday before concluding the series with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday at Foster Field.

"We need to run off more than just one win," Brooks said. "Tonight's win was important, but we have to come out on Saturday ready to play."