AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's mounted multiple rallies and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but Lubbock Christian held on to eliminate the Hilltoppers with an 8-6 decision Sunday at Lucian-Hamilton Field.
With the loss, St. Edward's (32-20) awaits its postseason fate, entering the final week of the regular season ranked sixth in the South Central Region standings—firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture, but with little margin left.
The Hilltoppers showed throughout the afternoon why they remain in that conversation.
After falling behind early on a pair of solo home runs, St. Edward's answered immediately in the second.
KADE NATHMAN sparked the inning with a leadoff single, and Nicodemus Ruedas followed with a double to set the table.
GRAYSON DOGGETT delivered an RBI single before
BEN MERRIMAN brought home the equalizer with a sacrifice bunt, tying the game at 2-2.
Lubbock Christian regained the lead in the third, but the Hilltoppers responded again.
DAVID RIPPLE and
CONNOR COX reached to open the bottom half, and Doggett came through once more with a run-scoring single to even the game at 3-3.
The turning point came in the fourth. The Chaparrals capitalized on traffic and timely extra-base hits, plating four runs to build a 7-3 advantage. St. Edward's starter
FINN MIGNEREY was lifted after 3.1 innings, and
BRANDON HUFF stabilized things out of the bullpen, limiting LCU to just one run over the final 5.2 innings to keep the Hilltoppers within striking distance.
That window never fully closed.
St. Edward's chipped away in the seventh, stringing together quality at-bats as Doggett recorded his third RBI of the day to cut the deficit to 8-4. Nathman (3-for-4, three runs scored) and Ruedas (two hits, two runs) continued to pressure the Chaparral pitching staff, helping the Hilltoppers out-hit Lubbock Christian 12-10 on the afternoon.
The final push came in the ninth. Nathman and Ruedas drew walks to open the inning, and Doggett was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Merriman forced in a run with a walk, and
TREVOR SEBEK followed with an RBI single to bring the Hilltoppers within two. With the tying run on base, Lubbock Christian turned to its closer, who recorded three consecutive strikeouts to end the game and the series.
Doggett led the offense with three hits and three RBI, while Nathman's ability to set the tone at the heart of the order fueled St. Edward's throughout the day. The Hilltoppers also drew eight walks and consistently created opportunities, but left 14 runners on base.
Despite the result, the performance reflected a team that continues to compete at a postseason level. St. Edward's answered every early blow, generated traffic in nearly every inning, and played its way back into contention against a fellow regional contender currently ranked just ahead of them.
Now, the Hilltoppers turn their attention to the regional picture, with their body of work—and resilience on display Sunday—positioning them as a dangerous team should their name be called on selection day.
