WICHITA, Kan. — A wild come-from-behind win in the opener provided some excitement as the Newman baseball team earned a doubleheader split against No. 9/29 Lubbock Christian Friday afternoon in Heartland Conference action.
GAME 1
Key Sequence
Down by two in extra innings after a disheartening top of the eighth, the Jets (11-18, 3-4 Heartland) responded with a big rally in the bottom of the frame to hand the Chaparrals (21-8, 6-1 Heartland) their first conference loss of the season. After Clay Druin worked a full-count walk to start things off, Ked Bailey beat out the back end of a double-play ball, and Paul Rupnik smacked a home run inside the pole in left to tie it in an eventual 5-4 victory.
How It Happened
-Newman starter Roger Wilson got out of trouble created by the leadoff man reaching in both the first and the second innings, but a single to start the top of the third eventually ended in a sacrifice fly to give LCU a 1-0 lead. Newman put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the inning, but couldn't tie it up.
-Rupnik got the fourth started quickly for the Jets, doubling to left center, and Brian Canfield kept it going with a single to right, which skipped past the rightfielder and allowed Rupnik to score to draw even with the Chaps.
-The Jets answered even quicker after falling behind in the next inning, as Druin lifted a ball over the fence in left to tie it at 2-2. Neither team scored the rest of regulation, sending the scheduled seven-inning game to extras. A walk, a sac bunt and two singles gave the Chaps a huge advantage in the top of the eighth.
-After Rupnik's bomb in the bottom of the eighth, the Jets needed to regroup to attempt to get the win, and they were able to do that with Canfield's single that followed. The senior moved up to second on a wild pitch and to third on Channing Williams' single, scampering home on a wild pitch to set off the celebration.
GAME 2
Key Sequence
The Jets kept their momentum up from the first game by taking an early lead, but the Chaps put up a big number in the top of the fifth to take control on the way to a 10-7 victory. LCU sent 11 batters to the plate to break a tie with seven runs in the frame, notching two bases-loaded walks and a bases-clearing triple with one out.
How It Happened
-A walk from Druin got things going in the bottom of the first, and Bailey really got it going in the next at-bat, as the senior's sac bunt turned into two errors that allowed both to score and stake the Jets out to a 2-0 lead.
-The Chaps started their offensive show in the fourth, grabbing four hits to plate three runs and move ahead, but Newman got an answer with Tyler Push, who lofted a ball over the fence in left-center to tie it at 3-3. LCU rolled back in front with its big inning though, leaving the Jets to play catchup.
-Newman got a run in the bottom of the fifth on Williams' two-out single, and the hosts chipped away a bit more with a two-run homer from Canfield in the sixth to cut it to 10-7.
NOTES
-Freshman Tyler Push went 2-for-2 in game two for the Jets with an RBI and a walk.
-The Jets were able to tally four home runs on the day against quality Lubbock pitching.
WHAT'S NEXT
-The Jets travel to Fort Smith, Arkansas for a matchup with Arkansas-Fort Smith April 6-7.
