KINGSVILLE – The No. 6-ranked Angelo State baseball team finds itself in a 2-0 hole and will need a doubleheader sweep on Monday to salvage a series split after Texas A&M-Kingsville took an 8-1 Lone Star Conference win over the Rams in the second game of a Sunday doubleheader following a 2-0 victory in the opener at Nolan Ryan Field.

The Rams (18-6, 8-5 LSC) had not lost back-to-back games all season and have now dropped the past three after falling to the Javelinas (17-7, 11-2) in a pair of games on Sunday after losing the series finale to West Texas A&M last Sunday in a four-game split against the Buffs. ASU is now 3-4 away from Foster Field this season going into a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Monday against TAMUK which has won eight straight games and is 14-2 on hits home field this season.

"We got outplayed today and it will be a real test of what we are made of to see how we respond," ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. "I expect this group to come ready to compete tomorrow." 

Blake Bass (5-1) took his first loss of the season after surrendering three earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work in his eighth start of his senior year, while Paxton DeLaGarza hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to account for the only run of the day for the Rams who had averaged 6.45 runs per game this season. DeLaGarza finished the game 2-for-4, including the home run which was the first in his career at ASU, while J.C. Snyder  and Derek Tyner each went 2-for-4 with two singles each. ASU, which was limited to only three hits in the opener against the Javelinas, was more productive with eight hits in the second game but also left nine on base. The Rams left two runners on base during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and saw the Javelinas take a 2-1 lead with two runs in the fourth and then break the game open with two in the seventh and three in the eighth.

Dean Fleitman (1-0) earned his first win of the season for the Javelinas after throwing an inning of relief where he struck out three and did not allow a run. Hayden James, who started the game, had two strikeouts and allowed one run – the DeLaGarza home run – and five hits in four innings. ASU turned to Miles Gully, Joe Hauser, Hayden Elrod and Jamie MacLean in relief of Bass who exited with the Javelinas leading 4-1.

Bryce Zak (4-2) is scheduled to start the third game of the series for the Rams at 1 p.m. on Monday back at Nolan Ryan Field, while the Javelinas had originally announced James as the starter but are now projecting to Matt Terrones (4-0) to start the third game of the series.
 
GAME ONE REPORT
KINGSVILLE – The No. 6-ranked Angelo State baseball team committed two errors and were limited to three hits in a 2-0 Lone Star Conference loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville in the series opener on Sunday at Nolan Ryan Field.

The Rams (18-5, 8-4 LSC) and Javelinas (16-7, 10-2 LSC) will play the second game of today's doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. before completing the series with another doubleheader which will start at 1 p.m. on Monday.

ASU was shutout for the first time this season in the opener by TAMUK's Ryan Benetiz (4-1) who struck out seven and earned the complete-game win over the Rams. Steve Naemark (5-1) did not allow an earned run, but took his first loss of the season after two unearned runs came in to score in the bottom of the fifth and the Rams could not get their offense going throughout the game. Down 2-0 going into the seventh, ASU leadoff hitter Nehwon Norkeh singled and advanced to second on a throwing error but a groundout, strikeout and flyout extinguished the final-inning threat and persevered the shutout and win for the Javelinas.  

Naemark finished the game with five strikeouts, scattered four hit and allowed only one walk in seven innings of work in his eighth start of the season. The Rams, who were averaging 6.45 runs per game coming into the game, did not see a runner advance past second base throughout the series opener. Paxton DeLaGarza had a first-inning single and J.C. Snyder also singled for the Rams who were limited to their season-low in hits by Benetiz.

The Javelinas scored both of their runs in the bottom of the fifth after taking advantage of a leadoff walk and then a two-out error. The inning started when Brayton Carlson started the inning with a full-count walk and he then moved to third on a pair of sacrifice bunts. With two outs, Naemark got a grounder to second base but an error scored Carlson for the first run of the inning and then a Zach Smith double down the right field line scored Ryan Fickel who had reached on the error. Naemark would strand Smith at second by getting a flyout to left field and limit the damage to two runs on one hit and the costly error.

The loss gave the Rams their first back-to-back defeat this season after they had dropped the series finale against West Texas A&M last Sunday.
Blake Bass (5-0) was scheduled to make his eighth start of the season in the second game of the series which is a nine-inning game. Bass comes into the game with a 2.03 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 40.0 innings to start his senior season.