SAN ANGELO - The No. 2 Angelo State baseball team dropped the series finale with No. 4 West Texas A&M 8-6 on Sunday at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium, splitting the series with the Buffs in the process.
It was the first time all season the Rams (18-4) lost back-to-back games.
ASU went with a new starting pitcher going for the series win in the afternoon matchup, as head baseball coach Kevin Brooks put Blake Barr on the hill to begin the game. It was the first start in his ASU career for Barr, and the junior went two and one third innings on the mound with a pair of strikeouts.
Barr was on the hook for the loss when he left to be replaced be replaced by reliever Jake Mathys, but it would not remain that way for long. Down 2-0, Michael Urquid and Nick Novak led off the bottom of the fourth inning with back-to-back walks. One batter later, Jonathan Soberanes came to the plate and hit his first triple of the year to plate both runners and tie the game at 2-2.
Still with no outs in the inning, outfielder Elias Aguirre came to the plate and singled home Soberanes to take the first Ram lead of the game. The next batter, Mitch Henshaw, extended that lead by hitting the second pitch he saw to straight away center for his second home run of the season.
The Buffs were held scoreless in the fifth inning, but got one run back in the top of the sixth. The Rams struck again for a run in the bottom of the sixth, however. With one out, Henshaw smashed another ball deep to center field, this time hitting the base of the wall. The Conroe native was already at second when the ball was picked up and dove into third base ahead of the throw for his first triple of the year. Matt Waller came up next and hit a clean single into right field to score Henshaw and make the lead 6-3.
The run in the sixth would be the last ASU scored on the day. In the eighth, after completing five innings pitched, Mathys gave up three runs to the Buffs to tie the game up. Joe Hauser came in to replace Mathys on the bump and gave up one more run in the eighth, surrendering the lead and eventually earning the loss. WT got an insurance run in the ninth and closed the door on ASU to win the game, 8-6.
With wins in the first two games, the Rams earned a series split with the Buffs. The two teams will face off again in Canyon in the last weekend of the regular season May 5-7.
Angelo State will host another home series this coming weekend, as the Rams play their Lone Star Conference opener against Cameron at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium. The series will start at 6:30 p.m. Friday night.
