SAN ANGELO – J.C. Snyder hit a three-run double to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning for Angelo State which rallied to take an 8-5 Lone Star Conference win over Eastern New Mexico on Friday in the series opener at Foster Field.

The Rams (33-14, 20-13 LSC) came into the final series of the regular season one game back of West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville and remain that way going into the final day of the regular season as WT knocked off Cameron 13-4 and the Javelinas claimed a 7-2 win over Tarleton State. The Buffs and TAMUK are both 21-12 in LSC play entering Saturday. ASU, which is now 23-4 at home and on a six-game winning streak, remained in contention for the regular-season championship after being down 5-4 going into the eighth inning after the Greyhounds had scored three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.

Cody Semler started the eighth-inning rally with a one-out single to left-center field and then Sam Kohler reached on an infield single. A Paxton DeLaGarza walk loaded the base and brought Snyder to the plate with two outs. Snyder delivered, driving a 1-0 pitch over the left-fielder's outreached glove to score Semler, Kohler and DeLaGarza. Snyder, who now has 20 doubles on the season which leads the LSC, scored on a Derek Tyner RBI single to give the Rams a three-run lead going into the ninth.

"I was real proud of the way our guys fought back," ASU head coach Kevin Brooks said. "It was another example of the character and heart that this team has. We just kept battling and putting together real good at-bats."

Dillon Becker (6-2) earned the win for the Rams after throwing three innings of relief where he struck out six and did not allow a hit or a run. Becker, who was making his 24th appearance from the bullpen, now has 49 strikeouts in only 31 2/3 innings. Steve Naemark received a no-decision on Friday night after striking out seven, but exiting after allowing four runs on six hits in five inning of work. Naemark now has 108 strikeouts on the season and leads the LSC with a 1.09 ERA.

Semler and Kohler each went 3-for-4 in the game to lead the Rams, while Snyder had a 2-for-5 night which included his 20th double. He is the first ASU player to hit 20 doubles since Zak Leonhart hit 20 in 2010. Snyder has now matched Leaonhart for the sixth all-time in a single-season for doubles and is eight behind Steven Allred (2007) for the all-time record. Defensively, Cameron Massengill threw out two runners trying to steal and also went 1-for-4 at the plate. Nehwon Norkeh led the game off with his 14th double of the season and scored the game's first run, while Brett David walked three times and helped the Rams get to the ENMU bullpen and mount the rally.

The Rams and Greyhounds will resume the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Foster Field. Angelo State will honor its senior class of Hayden Elrod, Cody Semler, J.C. Snyder, Trae Davis, Cameron Massengill, Derek Tyner, Miles Gully, Brett David and Blake Bass before the start of Saturday's first game.