Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)
Season Stats
CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M baseball team split a doubleheader Saturday evening as the Buffs won the opener 6-5 and dropped the nightcap 13-3 against No. 14 Angelo State. The Buffs are 32-15 overall and 13-8 in Lone Star Conference play, while Angelo State takes over the top spot in the league standings with a 38-11 overall mark and a 16-6 league record.
The Buffs and Rams will play the finale of the series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Wilder Park for Senior Day. Prior to the game, WT will honor eight seniors playing in their final regular season home game in a Buffalo uniform.
Fans can access live stats and streaming of the finale Sunday at www.gobuffsgo.com on the baseball schedule page.
West Texas A&M 6, #14 Angelo State 5 (Game One)
In the opener, a leadoff walk and a triple off the left field wall by Tyler Coolbaugh gave ASU a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. A single through the right side by Mitch Henshaw plated Coolbaugh for a 2-0 lead. Senior Joshua Payne got a strikeout, fly out and ground out to get out of the inning.
A walk and a single from junior Nick Canas put two on for the Buffs in the bottom of the first. Junior Nick Canas hit a check swing singe over third base, plating junior Jimmy Cubillos pulling WT within 2-1.
Angelo State added a run in third, with a one out walk to Coolbaugh, a single for Henshaw and a RBI single from Jacob Boston for a 3-1 lead.
WT senior Troy LaBrie hit a dead center, two-run home run tying the game at three in the bottom of the fourth. It was his team-leading fifth round-tripper of the season. Henshaw tallied his third hit of the game – a RBI double to right center for a 4-3 ASU lead in the top of the fifth.
A leadoff walk to Cubillos chased ASU starter Ryan Smith from the game in favor of Jake Mathys who earned the save last night for the Rams. Canas came up with a single up the middle on a nine-pitch at bat from Mathys for two on with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth. Junior Luis Amaro hit a three run home run to left center for his third home run of the season on 3-2 count as ASU made a move to the bullpen in favor of Joe Hauser, the team's closer with a league-best 12 saves on the year.
The two home runs for the Buffs marked the first time WT had hit multiple home runs in a game since April 7 against Arkansas-Fort Smith and the sixth time this season.
The Buffs held a 6-4 lead heading into the top of the seventh as senior starter Joshua Payne came back out for the chance at the complete game win. An infield single brought the tying run to the plate. A passed ball moved Jonathan Soberanes to second. Payne fanned pinch-hitter Jay Gonzales for the first out. A single up the middle by Elias Aguirre plated a run pulling ASU within 6-5. The Buffs moved to the bullpen in favor of sophomore Dominic Yeaergo replacing Payne. Coolbaugh hit a 1-2 count, opposite field single to left, for two on with one out. Yearego fanned Henshaw for the second out and a ground out to short for the final out.
WT had six runs on six hits with no errors, while ASU had five runs on 10 hits with one error. Canas was 2 for 3 with a run scored, while Amaro was 2 for 2 with two runs scored and a game-high four RBI and a home run. LaBrie went 1 for 3 with a run scored and two RBI. Payne improved to 9-3 on the year, going 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits, five runs – four earned, walked two and fanned six. Yearego earned his third save of the season.
Coolbaugh and Henshaw each had three hits for the Rams as Henshaw was 3 for 4 with two RBI and a double. Smith, who was 10-0 on the year ranking third nationally in wins, didn't factor into the decision going five innings, allowing four hits, four earned runs, walked three and fanned four. Mathys (7-3) took the loss in one inning of work, allowing two hits, two earned runs with one strikeout.
#14 Angelo State 13, West Texas A&M 3 (Game Two)
Angelo State put two on with two out in the top of the second as Nick Novak singled through the left side of the infield for a RBI and a 1-0 lead as the Rams took the lead first in each of the three games in the series.
The Rams put runners at the corners with nobody out in the top of the third on a walk and an infield single. Henshaw came up with a single through the right side for a RBI and a 2-0 lead. Jacob Boston hit a three-run home run for his ninth round-tripper of the season and a 5-0 ASU lead.
Coolbaugh singled home the sixth run of the game with two out in the fourth for a 6-0 Ram lead as the Buffs made a move to the bullpen. Junior Tate Huebner relieved junior starter Noah Draper.
The Buffs put runners at second and third with two away in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Chad Brown drove a two RBI double to the left field gap for a 6-2 score, following a meeting at the mound by the Rams. ASU decided to make a move to the bullpen in favor of Dustin Angiel replacing starter Blake Barr. An error on the Rams put runners at the corners. Angiel came up with a strikeout on a 3-2 count to get out of the jam.
ASU added two runs in the fifth with a RBI single by Novak and a sacrifice squeeze for an 8-2 lead and added three more runs in the sixth for an 11-2 lead.
The Buffs loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with nobody out. A wild pitch plated a run for the Buffs and an 11-3 deficit with two out.
In the top of the seventh, Henshaw hit a home run for a 13-3 lead. The Buffs put two on in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to get anything across.
ASU belted out 13 runs on 16 hits with one error, while WT had three runs on eight hits with three errors. Cubillos paced the team with three hits in four at bats in the nightcap, while Coolbaugh and Henshaw each had three hits for the Rams and Boston went 2 for 5 with two runs scored and a game-high five RBI.
Angiel (3-1) earned the win in relief of Barr going 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and fanned one, while Draper dropped to 2-1 on the year, going 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits, six earned runs, walked two and fanned three.
