Box Score April 2, 2015 Final Stats
BEAUMONT, Texas - Derek Wade slammed the door after an "exceptional" start from Chase Angelle that led the Lamar baseball team to a 3-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Southland Conference action.
The win pushed Lamar to 14-15 overall and 4-6 in league play, and moved the Cards a game in front of the Islanders (12-13, 3-7 Southland Conference), who were tied in the standings with LU.
Angelle (4-3) took his third-straight win, in a many series-opening starts, Thursday on 7.2 innings pitched. In his three starts in that role, Angelle has a 3-0 record, a 0.35 earned run average, and one earned run allowed in 25.2 innings pitched. His strikeout to walk ratio in that span is phenomenal at 23 punchouts to three walks.
"I've never seen anybody embrace the `Friday' night role quite the way Chase has," said 39-year head coach Jim Gilligan. "Three great games in a row and he was exceptional tonight. So was Wade."
Angelle scattered five hits and walked one batter. He finished with five strikeouts, and only allowed five runners to reach scoring position. He retired eight in a row that spanned from the last out of the fourth inning to the first of the sixth.
Of the five that reached scoring position, only one Islander made it to third base, the play before Wade took the mound.
Corpus Christi's Zacarias Hardy singled to lead off the inning down the third base line, he reached third after a single from Casey Thomas and groundout to the right side from Jordan Lee. Wade took the mound and forced a pop to shallow right to end the threat.
He came on in the ninth and stuck out the side in order.
"He has been real good, and did not throw too many pitches tonight," said Gilligan of Wade. "I hope we can give him the day off tomorrow."
Lamar was able to get on the board early, with two runs in the second inning. Markum punched a one-out single up the middle and took second on a single through the left side from Kevin Sananta. Brendan Satran loaded the bases with a bunt single.
"We knew how good of a hitter (Markum) was, but he wasn't swinging it like he did last year," said Gilligan. "All of a sudden he started getting hot. He can hit and that's all there is to it. I like seeing him come up, especially with people on base."
Markum scored after Islander shortstop Thomas booted a ball up the middle, and Santana crossed when CJ Moore beat out an infield single.
The game remained locked at 2-0 until the Jake Nash reached on an infield single that pushed across Stijn van der Meer, who led off with a one-bagger through the left side.
Both van der Meer and Markum recorded two hits in the game, all singles. Not a single extra-base hit was notched from either team.
Nash, Santana, Satran and Moore recorded the four other hits of the team's eight. Van der Meer, Markum and Santana scored runs, and Salazar and Moore (eight and nine-hole batters) recorded RBI.
Islander starter Matt Danton (2-5) suffered the loss and allowed all three runs, two earned, on eight hits and two walks. Kaleb Keith relieved him and worked one-third of an inning.
"I though Danton pitched a great game," said Gilligan. "They had a couple of timely errors. That really felt like a 1-0 ball game to me.
"Two good pitchers getting after it to open a series, and that is what the Southland Conference is all about," he said.
The second game of the series is schedule for Friday at 6 o'clock and the finale on Saturday at 1 o'clock. After Saturday's contest, Big Red will be on hand dressed as a bunny hiding eggs in the outfield for all kids in attendance.
