GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Angelo State baseball team finished the South Central Regional with a perfect record, defeating West Texas A&M 8-3 on Saturday to advance to the South Central Super Regional.
 
ASU holds a 39-18 overall record on the year and will play in the super regional for the third consecutive year. This is also the fourth straight appearance for the Rams including the 2019 season as the NCAA did not hold a super regional during the 2020 or 2021 seasons.
 
The Rams jumped out ahead of the Buffs as Conagher Sands brought in the first run on a single before a ground out from Kamden Kelton and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch on Ryder McDaniel made it 3-0.
 
After a scoreless second inning, the Buffs got on the board with a sac fly but the Rams responded in the bottom half of the frame as Justin Harris brought in two runs on a single up the middle.
 
ASU extended the lead in the fourth inning as Jacob Guerrero singled to left field to score Hunter Holt while Weston Valasek flew out to left field, bringing in Guerrero on the play.
 
In the fifth inning, WT loaded the bases but couldn't bring a runner home as Rams' starter Alezeah Gutierrez struck out the Buffs to end the inning.
 
The Buffs got two runs back in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs on a triple to right-center to cut the lead to five.
 
Gutierrez finished with six innings pitched, allowing three runs with two strikeouts to pick up his eighth win of the season.
 
Sands finished with three hits while coming around to score twice while Harris led the team with two RBIs.
 
Johnny Stacy closed out the game, tossing three shutout innings with only one hit and two strikeouts to earn his third save of the season.
 
The super regional will begin next weekend with the Rams facing the winner of the regional between top-seed Lubbock Christian and fifth-seed UT Permian Basin which will conclude on Sunday.