SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 4 West Texas A&M baseball team battled back after a disappointing 9-1 defeat in the opener of a doubleheader for a 3-1 win in the nightcap at No. 4 Angelo State Saturday evening in a key regional non-conference series. The teams will conclude the series with a single game beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday as the Buffs look to even the season series at two games each. 

WT (17-4) continued its struggled offensively on Saturday, going 14 of 52 for the doubleheader, while scoring just four runs with two doubles and hit .269.  Senior Troy LaBrie led the way in the twin bill going three for six with a run scored and two doubles, while junior Nick Canas went three for even with a run scored.  Junior Jimmy Cubillos, senior John Baiada and senior Chad Brown each had two hits. 

Angelo State (18-3), in the opener, continued the hot hitting against WT pitching as the Rams hit .333 for the doubleheader on 16 of 48, while scoring 10 runs with two doubles and driving in eight.  Matt Waller continued his strong start in the series hitting .500 on three for six for the day with a run scored, a double and two RBI.  Five other Rams had two hits each.

WT senior and reigning Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association South Central Region (NCBWA) Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week, Joshua Payne, got the Buffs' in the win column in the series.  He pitched a strong 6.1 innings in the nightcap, allowing just three hits, one earned run, walked two and fanned seven. 

#8 Angelo State 9, #4 West Texas A&M 1 (Game One)

The Rams scored nine runs on 12 hits in the opener and posted six runs through the first three innings as the strong offensive start picked up where Angelo State left off last night.  WT junior pitcher Ryan Larison went 2.1 innings, allowing seven hits, six earned runs with three walks and two strikeouts as he fell to 3-1 on the year.  ASU hurler Ryan Smith (5-0) earned the win in 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run, walked two and fanned six Buffs.

WT put two on with one out in the first, but was unable to score as Smith came back with a strikeout and a ground out to end the threat.  The Rams, in the bottom of the inning, plated three runs in the first as Waller doubled down the left field line for two runs and a RBI single up the middle plated the third. 

ASU added two more runs in the second as Steven Pinales hit a two RBI single to left for a 5-0 lead.  WT had another chance in the third with runners on with less than two outs, but could not bring anyone home as Cubillos reached on a single and Canas reached on an error.  With runners at second and third and nobody out, Smith got a strikeout and double play to end the inning. 

A Tyler  Coolbaugh RBI double to left gave ASU a 6-0 lead in the third as junior Brayden Price relived Larison in the frame.  WT broke through in the sixth as LaBrie doubled down the right field line with one out and Brown singled to left for a 6-1 score.  WT stranded two more in the frame. 

ASU plated three runs in the bottom of the inning for a 9-1 lead for the final margin. 

#4 West Texas A&M 3, #8 Angelo State 1 (Game Two) 

In a stark contrast to the first two games of the series, the nightcap was a pitcher's duel as both hurlers, Payne and ASU starter Shane Browning pitched strong as the game had a combined 11 hits and four runs. 

The game was scoreless until the sixth as ASU left three on base in the first five innings, while WT stranded one.  In the sixth Dustin Angiel relieved Browning to begin the inning and senior Aaron Vallance hit a bunt single, followed by a walk to junior Bodie Bryan.  ASU's Joel Hauser relieved Angiel following the free pass.  A fielder's choice followed and Adkins singled home the first run of the game, followed by a Cubillos RBI single for a 2-0 lead. 

Payne retired the Rams in order in the sixth as WT added to its lead in the seventh courtesy of a pair of singles to begin the inning and a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position.  A RBI fielder's choice plated the third run of the game.

In the bottom of the frame, Matt Henshaw hit a one-out single and a walk followed as senior Justin McAllister relieved Payne.  Coolbaugh got the Rams on the board with a RBI single, but a pair of key strikeouts by McAllister followed and ended the game as he picked up his third save of the season.

Fans can access live stats and streaming links of the game Sunday by logging onto www.gobuffsgo.com and clicking on the baseball schedule page.