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 shut out 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, scattering four hits and allowing 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. Naemark now has a 0.55 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched where he has allowed only three earned runs. 

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.