Box ScoreSeason StatsCANYON, Texas – Following the two walk-off wins by West Texas A&M in the first two games of the series, Angelo State responded with a 9-7 victory in the finale of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. WT made things interesting late in the contest, plating six runs on six hits in the eighth inning. With the loss, the Buffs fell to 28-15 on the year and 18-11 in Lone Star Conference play, while ASU improved to 28-14 overall and 16-13 in league play.
Nehwon Norkeh belted his second home run of the day on the first pitch of the second game of the twin bill and, after an out, Paxton DeLaGarza went yard for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first for the Rams. WT junior
Trace Hansen hit a two out double and advanced to third on an error, but was stranded there with a fly out to right.
Following a pitching change by the Buffs with one out in the top of the second, ASU's Cody Semler hit a RBI, ground-rule double to right center for a 3-0 lead. The Rams loaded the bases in the inning, but junior reliever
Justin McAllister got out of the jam with a strikeout to end the inning leaving the bags full.
Angelo State put runners at the corners with nobody out in the third. Cameron Massengill singled home the fourth run of the game off the third WT pitcher in senior
Kyle Olason. A ground out to first scored another run for a 5-0 Ram lead. A wild pitch scored the sixth run.
WT got on the board in the bottom of the third as junior
Josh Day belted a RBI single to right center for a 6-1 score and had runners at the corners, but ASU pitcher Bryce Zak came back with two strikeouts to end the threat as WT stranded its fourth and fifth runners.
ASU's David Goggin began the top of the sixth with a solo home run to right for a 7-1 lead off WT sophomore reliever
Eliot King. WT made a call to the bullpen for the fifth pitcher of the game in senior
Paul Lujan with one out and runners at second and third. DeLaGarza grounded out to second plating a run for an 8-1 score. JC Snyder hit a RBI triple down the right field line for a 9-1 lead.
The Buffs had two on in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to score as they stranded 10 on base for the game to that point.
A pinch-hit double to left from senior
Dylan Dyson and a RBI single from junior pinch-hitter
Aaron De La Paz, cut the deficit to 9-2 in the bottom of the eighth with nobody out. Senior
Max Brennen tallied the third hit of the inning as junior pinch-hitter
Mason Shiflett came to the plate. Shiflett was plunked with the pitch from reliever Matt Shannon who hadn't retired a batter since entering the game in the bottom of the eighth. A fielder's choice made the score 9-3 as senior
Ryan March reached for the RBI. Junior
Matt Cole singled home the third run of the inning as Shannon was relieved by Graylon Brown with the Rams leading 9-4. Junior
Trace Hansen doubled to right center for a 9-5 score on the first pitch he saw from Brown. A sacrifice fly from junior
Josh Day made the score 9-6. Senior
Aaron Blair doubled to left for a 9-7 score as the Buffs batted around in the eighth.
De La Paz singled up the middle to begin the bottom of the ninth, but the Buffs hit into a double play for two out. Shiflett struck out to end the game.
WT had seven runs on 11 hits with one error, while ASU had nine runs on 16 hits with one error. WT had three players with two hits each, while Norkeh and DeLaGarza each had three hits for the Rams. Zak (5-5) earned the win in six innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, three walks and he fanned a game-high 10. WT senior
Justin Disbro (3-5) took the loss in 1.1 innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs with one walk.
WT returns to the road Tuesday at 12 p.m. at Wayland Baptist and then next weekend in a key three game series at Tarleton State beginning Friday afternoon.
