Box Score

Season Stats

Selection Show

SAN ANGELO, Texas – Behind another gutsy, all-around team performance, the third-seeded West Texas A&M baseball team won its second-straight Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship with a 9-6 victory over host and top-seeded Angelo State Saturday afternoon at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.  With the win, WT earns the LSC's automatic berth in the NCAA South Central Regional next week at a site to be determined.
 
The Buffs downed Angelo State for the second-straight year in the championship, but won the opening game this year as opposed to the "if necessary" game last season.  WT improved to 35-16 on the year, while Angelo State fell to 41-13.  The Buffs evened the season series with ASU at 5-5.  The 2017 NCAA Division II Selection Show will be Sunday evening at 9 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.  Check
 
The Buffs came out firing on cylinders as junior Jimmy Cubillos began the game with a double to left center on the second pitch of the contest and moved to third on a ground out.  On a 1-2 count, senior Troy LaBrie hit an infield single on a high chopper to shortstop for a 1-0 lead.  A walk to junior Luis Amaro put two on for the Buffs with one out in the inning.  Senior John Baiada singled home LaBrie for a 2-0 lead and runners at the corners.  An unassisted ground out to the pitcher by senior Chad Brown scored a run for the Buffs and a 3-0 lead. 
 
With two outs for the Buffs and ASU batting in the bottom of the first, junior pitcher Noah Draper walked two Rams, both on 3-2 counts.  A fielder's choice out ended the threat as the Rams left two stranded. 
 
A sky-high pop up to the infield dropped for junior Adam Adkins for a double to begin the top of the second.  A sacrifice bunt for senior Aaron Vallance moved Adkins to third as the Buffs moved back to the top of the order.  A walk to Cubillos brought the second mound visit to starter Jake Mathys at the mound for the Rams.  Junior Nick Canas hit a bloop-double hitting over third for a RBI and a 4-0 lead.  A wild pitch plated the fifth run of the game and second of the inning.  A fly to center could have been another run as Canas didn't tag on the fly so he had to retreat to third with two out.  WT was unable to get Canas home on a ground out to shortstop for the final out.
 
ASU's Jay Gonzales hit a single to right for the Rams' first hit of the game to begin the inning.  An out and fielder's choice gave WT two outs in the frame, but the third walk by Draper put two on for the Rams.  After a meeting at the mound, Elias Aguirre hit just outside the reach of Amaro at first, but junior second baseman Bodie Bryan made a great move and throw to first getting the diving Aguirre out at first for the final out of the frame, preserving the 5-0 lead.
 
Draper got two quick outs in the third, but a walk and hit-and-run single from Steven Pinales put runners at the corners for the Rams.  Draper again got out of the jam with a liner to shortstop for the third out.  Draper walked Matt Waller for one on with two out in the fourth as ASU had runners in every inning to that point.  A bloop-single on a 1-2 count by Aguirre put runners at the corners once again for the Rams.  The sun caused problems for the Buffs, as it did for the Rams earlier in the game, with Tyler Coolbaugh hitting a bloop-double on a high pop up to short left for two RBI and a 5-2 lead for the Buffs.  WT got out of the inning with a ground out to second. 
 
LaBrie and Amaro began the top of the fifth with back-to-back singles for runners at the corners.  ASU went to the bullpen in closer Joe Hauser to replace Mathys.  Baiada hit the first Hauser offering for a RBI single to center and a 6-2 lead.  A hit batsman loaded the bases for the Buffs as Brown took the free pass after getting plunked.  Bryan hit a RBI single to left center for a 7-2 lead.  ASU went to the bullpen once again as Dustin Angiel replaced Hauser still with nobody out in the inning.  Adkins hit a sacrifice fly to deep center for an 8-2 lead as the runners moved into scoring position.  Angiel retired all three he faced getting out of the inning as WT left two on in the inning and five for the game.
 
Mathys went four innings, allowing seven hits, seven earned runs, walked three and fanned two, while Hauser allowed two hits, one earned run and didn't record an out. 
 
After getting a foul out in the bottom of the fifth, Draper hit Pinales and walked Gonzales as junior Tate Huebner relieved Draper.  Nathan Ruane hit a RBI double to right center for an 8-3 WT lead.  Huebner got a swinging strike three on Novak for the second out, but Matt Waller doubled home two runs off the left field wall for an 8-5 score.  A ground out to shortstop off Huebner's glove got the Buffs out of the inning. 
 
A single for Baiada and double from Brown put two on with nobody out for the Buffs in the seventh.  Bryan drew a four pitch walk to load the bases as the Rams went to the bullpen once again in Kenton Schroter.  A pop out and strikeout followed and a fielder's choice got the Rams out of the jam as WT couldn't take advantage of the bases loaded situation. 
 
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Gonzales took the Huebner offering to left for a home run and an 8-6 score.  Canas began the top of the eighth with a solo home run off the scoreboard in right center, for a 9-6 lead as he matched Gonzales' long ball from the previous inning.  It was Canas' third home run of the season.  A double play ended the inning for the Buffs as it was the fifth twin-killing the team hit into in the championship.
 
Sophomore Dominic Yearego relieved Huebner to begin the bottom of the eighth.  Huebner went 2.2 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs, walked none and fanned one.  Yearego retired the Rams in order in the eighth as he came on for his third save attempt in three days. 
 
The Rams had the heart of the order up in the bottom of the ninth.  Yearago got a fly out to deep right for the first out and a fly out to center for the second.  Pinales singled through the right side keeping the inning alive and a fly to center ended the game. 
 
Huebner (2-0) earned the win in relief going 2.2 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs and he fanned one.  Yearego picked up his sixth save of the season and third in three days, poing two innings, allowing one hit and fanning one. 
 
Offensively, WT had nine runs on 12 hits with no errors, while ASU had six runs on nine hits with no errors.  Baiada went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the team.  Canas went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, along with a home run, while LaBrie was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI. 
 
ASU was led by Gonzales, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a RBI, and a home run.  Pinales was 2-for-4 with a run scored.  Mathys (7-4) took the loss for the Rams. 
 
Following the championship, the all-tournament team was announced as LaBrie earned the honor for designated hitter, while Brown earned it at third base.  Cubillos was named to the team in the outfield, while starting pitchers senior Joshua Payne and junior Marshall Kasowski were named and Yearego earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
 
LSC All-Tournament Team
1st - Jacob Boston – ASU
2nd -  Nate Ruane - ASU
3rd - Chad brown - WTAMU
SS - Nick Novak - ASU
C - Pablo Hernandez - TAMUK
OF - Cody Bower - CU
OF - Jimmy Cubillos WTAMU
OF - Mitch Henshaw ASU
DH - Troy Labrie - WTAMU
P - Josh Payne – WTAMU
P -  Marshall Kasowski – WTAMU
P - Kenton Schroter ASU
MVP -  Dominic Yearego - WTAMU