The UAFS baseball team kept its bid for its first Heartland Conference Tournament title alive on Friday afternoon as the No. 3 seed Lions eliminated the No. 1 seed and No. 19-ranked Lubbock Christian Chaps with a 5-3 win at The Depot at Cleburne Station in Cleburne, Texas.

UAFS (27-18) will play No. 4 seed St. Edward's in another elimination game tonight at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to Saturday's championship game at noon to play Rogers State. Live statistics and live stream for tonight's game will be available.

It was the Lions' first win against the Chaps this season. Lubbock Christian (35-15) swept the three-game, regular-season, conference series against UAFS on March 22-23 at Crowder Field.

Lubbock Christian took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when right fielder Hunter Alexander singled and scored on a one-out, bases-loaded walk by designated hitter Will Clark.

UAFS answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

First baseman Kyle Love singled to lead off the inning, and center fielder Travis Young drew a walk from Lubbock Christian starter Ricky Contreras. Second baseman Logan Easley put down a sacrifice bunt, which was thrown away by Contreras. Easley advanced to second, Young to third and Love scored.

Designated hitter Trent Powell flied out to right field to drive in Young, and third baseman Brooks Sunny followed with a RBI groundout that drove in Easley. Contreras finally got out of the inning by striking out left fielder Tremarcus Koontz.

Lubbock Christian cut its deficit in half with a single run in the top of the fifth inning on a two-out RBI single by third baseman Braden Hayward.

UAFS added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Right fielder Logan Allen led off with a single up the middle and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Dylan Hurt. Love was intentionally walked, and Young followed with a single through the left side to drive in Allen.

With second baseman Logan Easley at the plate, Contreras uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Young and Love to move to second and third, respectively. Love then scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Easley. Contreras got out of the inning by getting Powell to ground out to first base.

Lions closer Foster Pace relieved starter Korbin Polly in the eighth inning. Pace pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Pace retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a walk to second baseman Eddy Vasquez, who then scored on a double to left center by left fielder Chase Whetsel. Pace settled down, though, and got Hayward to fly out to center field to end the game.

Polly (5-0) earned the win, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts over seven innings. Pace earned his fifth save, allowing one earned run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts over two innings.

Alexander was 2 for 2, Whetsel was 1 for 5 with a double and one RBI and Hayward was 1 for 5 with one RBI to lead the Chaps.

Contreras (3-1) suffered the complete-game loss, allowing five runs – three earned – on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Allen and Love were 2 for 4, and Young was 1 for 3 with one RBI to lead the Lions. Easley, Powell and Sunny each had one RBI.
 
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
NO. 3 UAFS 5, NO. 1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN 3
Lubbock Christian      000      110      001      --          3          6          1
UAFS                          000      300      02X     --          5          6          1
Contreras and Pratt; Polly, Pace (8) and Hurt. W – Polly, 5-0. L – Contreras, 3-1. Sv – Pace (5). HRs – None.