Box Score (Game 1)

Box Score (Game 2)

Season Stats
 

SAN ANGELO, Texas  – West Texas A&M senior closer and first team all-conference selection, Kyle Tinius, made his second career start in a WT uniform and made it one to remember as he pitched 8.2 innings in the Buffs' thrilling 4-2 victory over Angelo State in the second Lone Star Conference Championship Game Saturday afternoon at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.  The Buffs won their first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship in program history and improved to 36-18 on the year, while Angelo State is 35-20. 

 

WT earned the automatic qualifier to the NCAA South Central Region Tournament, scheduled for May 19-21.  Angelo State, who was fifth in the latest region rankings enter the LSC tournament, will await a potential at-large bid.  The 2016 NCAA Division II Baseball Selection Show will be Sunday evening at 9 p.m. and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.  The Buffs now will play in their third-straight NCAA South Central Regional and became the first Lone Star Conference team to make three-straight regionals since Abilene Christian went from 2008-2010. 

 

"I am really happy for our guys," head coach Matt Vanderburg said.  "We have worked really hard all season and this is a culmination of the work we have put in. I thought our team bounced back really well after the first game today and we showed a lot of character to defeat a really good Angelo State team."

 

Tinius, making his second career start in a Buffalo uniform, improved to 4-3 on the year allowing 11 hits, two earned runs and he fanned seven earning LSC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.  Senior outfielders Mason Shiflett and Nick Chapman were also named to the All-Tournament Team, along with senior second baseman Trace Hansen, senior pitcher Austin Moore and junior catcher Troy LaBrie. 

 

"I had to do anything in my power to help win the game," Tinius said.  "We did what we could to get the win and I credit my teammates for making plays behind me.  I wasn't going to let them beat me again and, after our series here earlier in the year, I went home and wrote Angelo State on my mirror and I really wanted to face them again."

 

The Buffs struggled in the series in San Angelo earlier in the season as they were swept in a three game series, while splitting a four game set in Canyon. 

 

WT now stands at 8-14 all-time in the LSC Championship in seven trips.  The 36 wins matches last season's win total and ties for the second-most in program history.

 

Angelo State 5, West Texas A&M 1 (Championship Game 1)

Angelo State plated a run in the bottom of the first as Sam Kohler drew a one out walk and Paxton DeLaGarza singled to short, followed by a hit batsman to load the bases.  Jarryd Klemm hit a sacrifice fly to right for a 1-0 lead. 

 

The Buffs had a good chance to score in the top of the second as senior Nick Chapman singled to short and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second.  A strikeout and a fly out followed.  In the third, senior Trace Hansen was hit with a pitch with one out and moved to second on a ground out.  Senior Josh Day singled to short, but Jay Gonzales gunned down Hansen at the plate ending the inning. 

 

In the bottom of the frame, DeLaGarza hit a bunt single with one out and Gonzales singled to right, followed by a Klemm RBI single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.

 

Junior Hunter Henderson began the fourth with a single to left for the first hit out of the infield for the Buffs and third of the game.  The Rams got out of the inning with a strikeout, fly out and fielder's choice as the Buffs put runners on in each of the first four innings, leaving four stranded.

 

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth and the bases loaded for the Rams, Steven Pinales came through with a two RBI single to right for a 4-0 lead.  Two out runs have hurt the Buffs this weekend.  On a suicide squeeze, Michael Urquidi was thrown out at home to end the inning.

 

WT returned the favor in the top of the sixth as, with two out, Chapman took ASU starter Kenton Schroter deep to left for a 4-1 score as it was Chapman's fourth home run of the season and first of the championship. 

 

The Buffs had another opportunity in the eighth as an error put senior Josh Day at first with one out.  He then was thrown out trying to steal and a strikeout ended the threat.  WT put runners on in each inning of the game to that point.

 

Klemm began the bottom of the eighth with a bunt single and reached second on a passed ball.  Urquidi walked for two on with nobody out.  Junior Thomas Garland relieved senior starter Luke Wiechec following the free pass.  A double steal moved the runners to second and third.  Garland got a run down at third for the second out.  The Buffs made a miscue as a run scored, but Nathan Ruane was thrown out following the error for the third out and a 5-1 ASU lead heading to the Buffs' final at bat.

 

Schroter retired the Buffs in order in the ninth for the complete game win sending the championship to the "if necessary" game. 

 

The Buffs tallied one run on the solo home run from Chapman, recorded four hits and one error, while leaving six stranded.  ASU tallied five runs on eight hits with two errors and also left six stranded.  Chapman was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI to lead the team.  Wiechec (3-3) went seven innings, allowing eight hits, five runs – four earned, walked four and fanned four.

 

All eight hits for the Rams came from four batters as DeLaGarza was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, while Klemm was 2 for 3 with two RBI.  Schroter (4-0) went the distance, allowing four hits, one earned run, walked two and fanned seven.

 

Following a three-up-three down top of the first as the teams switched home and away for the second game, the Buffs came to bat and began the inning with a double to left from Hansen, followed by a sacrifice bunt which moved him to third.  A passed ball scored Hansen for a 1-0 lead.  A double from Day, a walk and a single from redshirt freshman Christian Loya loaded the bases.  Junior Troy LaBrie hit a two RBI ground-rule double to right plating two runs for a 3-0 lead.

 

West Texas A&M 4, Angelo State 2 (Championship Game 2)

Tinius got into a bases loaded jam in the top of the second after retiring the first five in a row.  An error, hit batsman and single loaded the bases, but Tinius fanned David Goggin for the final out getting out the inning unscathed.  His previous start was Apr. 25, 2014, at Tarleton State where he pitched two innings in a 6-2 loss.

 

The Rams began the top of the fourth with a bunt down the third base line by Klemm and it rolled the line the whole way and somehow didn't roll foul for a bunt single.  He advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a ground out.  Pinales drove him home with a RBI single through the right side for a 3-1 WT lead.

 

The Rams put two on in the top of the sixth with a singles by Klemm and Urquidi, but Pinales hit into a bamg-bang 643 double play as the Buffs got out of the jam much to the displeasure of the Angelo State fan base.

 

In the bottom of the seventh, LaBrie doubled to right to begin the inning and senior Matt Cole singled to left as LaBrie moved to third with one out.  Hansen singled home LaBrie for a 4-1 lead for the Buffs' first run since the first inning.

 

In the ninth, the Rams had one last chance as Pinales fanned to begin the inning.  Ruane singled to center and advanced to second on a ground out.  Christian Abilla singled to right on 1-2 count plating Ruane for a 4-2 score.  WT senior Brooks Trujillo replaced Tinius.  Kohler singled to center for runners at the corners.  DeLaGarza, the LSC Player of the Year, struck out on a check swing as the Buffs claimed their first Lone Star Conference championship.

 

The Buffs tallied four runs on nine hits with one error, while ASU had two runs on 12 hits.  Three different Buffs had two hits each as LaBrie was 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI, while Hansen was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.  Trujillo earned his first career save going 0.1 innings, allowing one hit.  Tinius threw 115 pitches in the game.

 

ASU was led by Ruane who was 3 for 4 with a run scored.  Klemm was 2 for 4 with a run scored, while Abilla was 2 for 5 with a RBI. 

 

Check back with www.gobuffsgo.com for the latest details on the Buffs' NCAA Regional.