LSC Roundup 4-11

College baseball roundup 04.11.09
Travis Latz drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh inning, as the Abilene Christian Wildcats beat Northeastern State Oklahoma, 4-3, in the first game of a Lone Star Conference doubleheader Friday at Crutcher Scott Field.

Northeastern State won the second game, 8-5. The teams wrap up the four-game series with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. today.

Rams triumph right off the bat
The Angelo State baseball team did something Friday it hadn't done since March 14.

The Rams won the first game of a four-game Lone Star Conference series.

ASU scored six runs in the first two innings and went on to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma 7-3 in the first game of a doubleheader and four-game set against the Bulldogs. The Rams then defeated the Bulldogs 12-2 in the second game.

With the wins, the Rams separated themselves from the Bulldogs in the LSC standings. The teams went into the series tied for third place.

Local roundup: ASU softball sweeps, Chiefs fall in baseball
The Angelo State University softball team swept a doubleheader on the road against Texas Woman's on Friday.

The Rambelles (36-7 overall, 12-3 in the Lone Star Conference South Division) won the opener 5-1 behind a strong performance by pitcher April Haywood.

ASU then won the nightcap 4-2, as starter Chelsea Nelson improved to 22-3 on the season.

ACU stays in title hunt
Four Abilene Christian players drove in a run and Kim Partin got out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in consecutive innings as the Wildcats beat Tarleton State 4-1 to sweep a Lone Star Conference South Division doubleheader Friday at Wells Field.

In the opener, Katie Cornelison hit a two-run home run to break a 9-9 tie in the sixth, and Nancy Sawyers added solo shot as the Wildcats rallied for a 12-10 victory. Cornelison drove in five runs in the game.

"We didn't come out in the first game as strong as we would have liked in the first couple of innings," ACU coach Chantiel Wilson said. "But I'm real pleased with the way they responded and came back. They never stopped fighting."

Lady Buffs' magic number down to one
The West Texas A&M softball team has one more Lone Star Conference game to play, and it could be its biggest since the program's revival four years ago. The Lady Buffs swept Eastern New Mexico in a doubleheader Friday at Lady Buff Yard to move within one victory of clinching a playoff berth for the first time in the new program's history.

The sweep, by scores of 10-1 and 6-3, put WT (32-17 overall, 9-8 in LSC) two games ahead of Texas A&M-Kingsville for the final LSC playoff spot. WT holds the tie-breaker against Kingsville based on head-to-head play and would clinch a playoff berth with a win in today's game that begins at 1 p.m.

"We haven't swept a series yet this year," WT head coach Kevin Blaskowski said. "We need to play for a sweep because that will solidify our spot in the postseason. Even though we have won the series, we have a lot to play for. You don't know what it would mean for us to get in the postseason. It is what we have talked about all year long, it is what we have worked for all year long, and it is one game away."


Hanks High School seniors earn scholarships
EL PASO -- Three of the main components of the Hanks High School football team's 2008 success signed letters of intent to play at the college level Wednesday.

Linebacker Jeremy Tarango signed with West Texas A&M, wide receiver Ryan Pettis will go to Navarro Junior College and fellow receiver Tony Chacon agreed to go to Dana College in Nebraska.

"I greatly appreciate everyone being there, and it's one of those things I'll never forget," he said. "I would like to get bigger and stronger so I can start at West Texas A&M."

While his prep career is coming to an end, Tarango said he'll never forget it.

"Honestly, I have so many memories of high school," he said. "They're everywhere -- on the football field, inside the school -- just everywhere."