SHAWNEE – Lubbock Christian's Jack Mabe out-dueled St. Gregory's Ben Moore Wednesday at Bison Field, leading the No. 5-ranked Chaps to a 3-1 win over the Cavaliers in the first game of pool play at the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.
Mabe, a junior right-hander from Granbury, Texas, went 8-2/3 innings, giving up one run on five hits. He struck out three Cavs with only one walk. Mabe didn't allow a hit after the fourth inning.
That was barely enough to beat a solid effort from Moore, who went the distance for the 11th time in 13 starts this season. Moore (8-5) worked five scoreless innings before surrendering three runs. He scattered seven hits and struck out six in a 138-pitch effort.
The Cavs broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Roberto Celestino grounded into a double play, scoring Christian Torres from third.
The Chaps countered in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs. LCU tied it on Wigberto Nevarez's sacrifice fly, then two batters later, went ahead on a two-out, ground-rule RBI double by Jason Fisch. LCU added another run in the eighth on a balk.
Mabe, meanwhile, was on cruise control for much of the game. After SGU's run in the fourth, he retired the next 16 Cavalier hitters. Mabe was chased in the ninth after hitting the Cavs' Cody Guenthart with a pitch – his 122nd toss of the game.
That put runners on first and second for the designated visiting team with two outs, but LCU reliever Monty McCasland got pinch hitter Cody Kollmann to fly out to center to end the game. It was McCasland's third save of the season.
Jordan Funtila, Mark Milioto, Torres, Guenthart and Davis Murphy had the only hits for the Cavs.
SGU (18-34) continues pool play Thursday at 6 p.m. against Oklahoma Baptist, barring any weather postponements.
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