CANYON, Texas –  A school-record 22 strikeouts and 16 from West Texas A&M junior Marshall Kasowski wasn't enough as two early miscues proved costly as the Buffs dropped their first game of the season, 3-2 against No. 6 Lubbock Christian Tuesday evening at Wilder Park.  With the loss, the Buffs' school-best nine-game winning streak ended as they fell to 9-1 on the year.

The teams combined for 36 strikeouts in the game as WT fanned 22 and Lubbock Christian struck out 14 Buffs.  WT had two runs on eight hits with two costly errors, while LCU scored three runs on eight hits with one error.  Two of the three runs for the Chaps were unearned. 

Tuesday's announced crowd of 487 set a new Wilder Park attendance record, breaking the previous record of 478 set Feb. 28, 2014, in an 11-1 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The Chaps (8-4) got on the board in the top of the first as a leadoff walk and a RBI double from Logan Nethercot for a 1-0 lead as it was the first run allowed by Kasowski of the season.  With two out, a hit and an error, plated Nethercot for a 2-0 LCU lead as Kasowski fanned the side.

Three singles through the left side loaded the bases for the Buffs in the bottom of the first with nobody out.  Junior Luis Amaro scored the first WT run with a ground out to second for a 2-1 score.  LCU hurler Daniel Crooks (2-1) came back with two strikeouts to get out of the jam as WT left runners at second and third.  Crooks threw 24 pitches with 21 strikes in the frame.  Crooks went six innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, walked one and fanned ten.

Sophomore Christian Loya began the bottom of the second with a double down the right field line for the fourth hit of the game for the Buffs as WT entered the game hitting .416 for the season.  A fly out to center moved Loya to third with two away.  Crooks bested junior Bodie Bryan for the third out on a strikeout as WT left Loya stranded at third.

Kasowski got into a zone in the second and third innings, fanning six-straight, as he struck out the side in each of the first three innings.  With one on in the bottom of the third, senior Troy LaBrie continued his hot start to the season with a RBI double down the right field line to tie the game at two. 

LCU's Tony Reyes broke up Kasowski's string of seven-straight strikeouts and ten for the game with a single to center in the fourth.  A failed pickoff attempt and a wild pitch scored the second unearned run of the game for the Chaps and 3-2 lead in the fourth.  Kasowski fanned Brandon Urquizo to get out of the inning without any further damage.

Kasowski fanned his 14^th in the top of the six tying his WT career-high set against Northwestern Oklahoma State two weeks ago in the 2017 home-opener.  Back-to-back singles for the Chaps put two on with one away in the sixth as Kasowski's pitch count hit 107.  Kasowski fanned his 15^th and 16^th to get out of the jam. 

Senior Justin McAllister relieved Kasowski in the seventh as he went six innings, allowing five hits, three runs – one earned, walked four and fanned 16 in 115 pitches.  McAllister fanned his first batter tying the Buffs' record for team strikeouts in a game set at Northwestern Oklahoma State Feb. 13, 2016.  In the game former Buff Brooks Trujillo fanned 17 in a complete game shutout for the individual record as well.

Junior Luis Amaro began the bottom of the eighth with a double down the right field line.  Sophomore Blake Weaver pinch-ran at second for Amaro.  A fielder's choice got Weaver out at third for the first out.  Another fielder's choice put two away for the Buffs.  WT was unable to get anything in the inning, stranding a good start to the frame.

WT went down in order in the ninth as Nick Hooper picked up his third save of the season for the Chaps.

The Buffs and Chaps will continue their series Feb. 28 at Hays Field in Lubbock with a 5 p.m. first pitch.