GOODWELL, Okla. (April 3, 2015) – Brett Wilhelm hit two home runs and Hunter McFall produced four hits, as Lubbock Christian University completed a three-game Heartland Conference series sweep over Oklahoma Panhandle State University Friday afternoon at Aggie Baseball Field with a 12-3 win to extend their win streak to four games and push their streak of consecutive wins away from Hays Field to eight games.

Situations prior to the game had LCU making a myriad of changes involving the starting lineup. Wilhelm, making his 59th career start, made his first start in his college career at shortstop, Jesse Pintado, making his 69th career start, made his first collegiate start at first base and originally slated starting pitcher Levi Westerlund was scratched and Dalton Silva, making his 42nd career appearance with LCU, made his first ever start in a conference game for the Chaps. The moves panned out. Willhelm produced a pair of home runs, drove in three runs and was involved in a pair pickoffs at shortstop (led the team in defensive assists in the game). Pintado went 3-for-5 at the plate and Silva produced a career high nine strikeouts and allowed one run over five innings to garner the win (2-1).

The Chaps took off with the early lead in the third inning with five runs coming across home plate. Wade Stramp had a RBI-single to right centerfield to score the first run before McFall (double) and Nikko Velarde (single) each drove in a pair of runs. The Chaps made it 6-0 in the fourth inning with Wilhelm's first home run, which led off the inning.

OPSU had several chances early in the game, but could not cash in. The Aggies, who stranded 12 baserunners in the game, were unable to score a run in the second inning with the bases loaded and they were unsuccessful scoring a run in the third inning with the bases loaded and nobody out, as Silva got out of the jam in the third inning with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out. They also stranded three baserunners in the sixth inning and finished the game 0-for-5 with the bases loaded (they were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position).

The Aggies would get a run in the fifth inning off Lucas Ogaz's two-out single to left field and a run in the sixth inning via an infield single by Jason Cox (four infield singles by Cox in the series). They had the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning with the bases loaded before Chaps reliever Jay Rawlins struck out Sammy Moreno to dodge the threat.

Velarde completed a three-RBI game (matched a career high) with a double down the left field line to score Jose Favela all the way from first base in the seventh inning for a 7-2 lead. The Chaps added another run in the eighth inning, as Stephen Withrow hit a single to right field to score Ethan Kohnle. The Aggies countered with a run in the bottom half of the inning with a second RBI produced by Cox to cut LCU's lead to 8-3 heading to the ninth inning. The Chaps put the game away in the ninth inning with Adam Norblom and Wilhelm each crushing two-run home runs. Norblom's shot over centerfield was his third home run of the season. Wilhelm had struck out in his prior at-bat in the game against OPSU relief pitcher Scott Cutright, but hit the home run off of him in the ninth inning. The two were Bushland High School products, where ironically Wilhelm had last made a start at shortstop. The two homers completed the scoring of a four-run ninth inning for the Chaps.

LCU had three home runs in the game to match a season high. They had only produced two home runs in conference play this season prior to their three Friday. Individually, Wilhelm had only two career home runs prior to Friday. He is the first Chaps starting shortstop to have two home runs in a game since Armando Dominguez completed the task at the 2009 NAIA World Series against Lee (Tenn.) in LCU's title run.

OPSU received a 3-for-4 performance at the plate from Cox in the loss. The loss decision was issued to starting pitcher Zack Tingen (0-5), who allowed six runs off nine hits in four innings of work.

McFall was 4-for-5 for LCU with two RBI. He finished the series 8-for-14 (.571) with four RBI. LCU out-scored OPSU 28-9 in the series. Ten different players producing an RBI in the series for LCU.

The win moved them to 19-16 overall on the season and 6-7 in conference play, while OPSU fell for a 15th consecutive game (3-31, 2-13). LCU has won 12 consecutive meetings against OPSU. The Chaps return home and will host West Texas A&M Tuesday at Hays Field with a 6 p.m. first pitch.