TYLER, Texas — Some days you just have to tip your cap to the opponent, and Lubbock Christian University starting pitcher Aaron Rubio threw a gem in knocking off No. 22 St. Mary's University 7-1 on Friday afternoon at Irving Field on the UT Tyler campus.
 
The Rattlers (38-17) finish the Lone Star Conference Tournament with a 2-3 record and will wait for the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, May 10 at 10 p.m. (ET) to see if the team earns an at-large berth. StMU entered the week ranked fourth in the South Central region and the top six teams advance.
 
StMU fans were a little nervous when the game started almost identically to Thursday's, as LCU drew a walk on the leadoff hitter and he moved to second on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, scoring on a single down the left field line by Jorge De Los Santos. The miscues piled up throughout the game, as the Rattlers committed four on the day.
 
Lubbock Christian (34-20) scored its seven runs on eight hits, while St. Mary's scored one run on five hits with one LCU error. Both teams stranded eight runners on base.
 
The Chaps plated single runs in the first and every inning from the third to the sixth, adding two in the eighth for the six-run win. The Rattlers scored one in the fourth frame, as junior Dillon Lopez (San Antonio) laid down a surprise bunt with one out, and the pitcher overthrew first, allowing Lopez to get to second. He scored on a Jacob King (San Antonio) single up the middle.
 
Both King and senior Garrett Brooks (Spring Branch, Texas) made terrific diving catches in the outfield to save more runs from being scored.
 
Sophomore Derek Maples (San Antonio) dropped to 4-3 on the year. He allowed one earned run (four total) on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Maples walked three and struck out three. Seniors Joel Burgess (Atascocita, Texas), Kaleb Gauna (Hondo, Texas) and Brody Ticer (San Antonio) all worked in relief. Ticer struck out two of the three batters he faced in pitching a perfect ninth inning.
 
NEWS & NOTES

• Junior catcher Dillon Lopez threw out another runner on the base paths, catching Freddie Nolen at third base in the seventh inning on an attempted double steal by the Chaps. It is Lopez's 22nd runner thrown out this season, which moves him into sole possession of fourth on the school's single season lists.
• Freshman Blake Allen (San Antonio) collected three of the team's five hits, going 3-for-4 with a double out of the leadoff spot. The three hits are the most in a game for Allen since April 3 when he was 4-for-4 at Eastern New Mexico. 

• Friday was the first time since 2018 that the Chaps and Rattlers met in the conference tournament. LCU is now 4-2 against StMU on a neutral field.