CANYON, Texas – Five runs in the top of the ninth inning spoiled West Texas A&M's Senior Day as No. 14 Angelo State rallied from a 7-4 deficit for a 9-7 victory in the final game of the regular season for both teams.  WT ends the regular season at 32-16 overall and 13-9 in Lone Star Conference play, while Angelo State finishes 39-11 and 17-6 in league play, winning its second-straight Lone Star Conference regular season title.

WT will be the No. 3-seed in the upcoming Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship beginning Thursday in San Angelo, Texas.  The Buffs will battle No. 2-seed Texas A&M-Kingsville Thursday.  Check back with www.gobuffsgo.com for the latest information on game times and more.  Host ASU will battle Cameron in the four-team tournament. 

Despite the loss, the Buffs honored eight seniors playing in the final regular season home game in a WT uniform as the 2017 Senior Class includes; Aaron Vallance, John Baiada, Thomas Garland, Justin McAllister, Hunter Henderson, Troy LaBrie, Chad Brown and Joshua Payne.  Best of luck to these guys in their future endeavors. 

For the game and a very windy Texas Panhandle day, WT had seven runs on 14 hits, while ASU had nine runs on 12 hits with four errors.  Junior Luis Amaro went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and four RBI, including a pair of home runs.  Baiada went 3 for 5 with a run scored.  WT stranded 13 men on base as the team had the bases loaded twice and were unable to score either time.

ASU's Mitch Henshaw went 3 for 5 with two runs scored and three RBI, including one of three home runs by the Rams in the game. 

In the bottom of the second, Amaro hit a double to right with nobody out.  LaBrie drew a walk for two on and nobody out with a meeting at the mound by the Rams.  An infield single from sophomore Christian Loya loaded the bases with two away.  On a 3-2 count, ASU pitcher Shane Browning came up with a strikeout to get out the jam leaving the bags full of Buffs.

WT has a chance with two on in the bottom of the third as Amaro hit a strong ball to the warning track with a stiff South win, but it came up just short.  WT junior starting pitcher Ryan Larison retired the first 12 Rams in order through four innings.

An error and single through the left side by the Buffs put two on with one out in the bottom of the fourth.  A walk to senior Hunter Henderson loaded the bases for the second time in the game as the Rams made a move to their bullpen as closer Joe Hauser replaced Browning.  Hauser got a pop out to short for the second out.  On another 3-2 count with the bases full, Hauser got a fly out to left as the Buffs left eight on base to that point. 

Larison retired the first 14 in a row, but Michael Urquidi hit a line drive home run to left for the first hit of the game for the Rams and a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth.  The Buffs put two on in the bottom of the fifth.  Senior Chad Brown doubled down the left field line tying the game at one and an error scored the second run of the inning as WT took a 2-1 lead.  Henderson hit high pop up to short and got caught in the jet stream, dropping for a RBI single for a 3-1 WT lead.

ASU's Mitch Henshaw hit a RBI single through the right side for a 3-2 WT lead in the sixth with two outs.  Larison fanned Jacob Boston for the final out as the Rams left runners at the corners.  With two out in the bottom of the sixth, Amaro blasted a solo home run to left for his third round-tripper of the season and a 4-2 WT lead.

Urquidi hit a RBI double to left in the top of the seventh for a 4-3 WT lead with nobody out as the Buffs had a meeting at the mound.  Sophomore Dominic Yearego relieved Larison following the RBI double.  Yearego got three-straight outs to get out of the inning. 

Larison had a great outing, going six innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs and fanned two as he didn't factor into the decision.  Browning went just 3.1 innings for ASU starting the game, allowing three hits, while walking four and fanning one. 

A single and error put Baiada at second as the Rams went to the bullpen as Dustin Angiel relieved Hauser in the bottom of the seventh.  Angiel got out of the inning without any further damage. With two out in the top of the eighth, Henshaw doubled to right.  Boston hit a ball high and it caught in the wind, too, falling in shallow right for a RBI, tying the game at four. 

WT began the bottom of the frame with a wail to Vallance and a double to right by Cubillos as the Rams went to the bullpen once again.  Jhonatan Del Rosario relieved Angiel following the double.  A pop out to short got Del Rosario the first out.  Amaro belted his second home run of the game – a three run shot for a 7-4 WT lead.  Following a two out single from Baiada, ASU replaced Del Rosario with Kenton Schroter. 

ASU drew a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth.  Pinch-hitter Jay Gonzales hit a first pitch two-run home run for a 7-6 WT lead.  Senior Justin McAllister relieved Yearego following the home run.  Nick Novak doubled to left off McAllister.  A fly to center moved Novak to third with one out.  Elias Aguirre doubled down the left field line tying the game at seven.  McAllister retired the second out with Aguirre at third.  On a 2-1 count, Henshaw hit a two-run home run to left for a 9-7 ASU lead and the second home run of the inning for the Rams.  A walk brought Pinales to the plate as the ninth batter of the inning.  WT went to the bullpen as junior Tate Huebner relieved McAllister. 

Friday starter Matt Shannon came in for the bottom of the ninth.  Shannon retired junior Steven Weber for the first out and fanned Henderson for the second out.  Down to the final out, Vallance singled to right bringing the tying run to the plate in Cubillos.  Shannon retired Cubillos with a ground out for his first save of the season. 

Schroter earned the win pitching 0.1 innings as he improved to 6-1 on the year, while McAllister took the loss falling to 1-5.