LUBBOCK, Texas (May 8, 2021) – With the wind blowing out up to 30 miles per hour and the top two home run hitting teams in the Lone Star Conference facing off, fireworks were a certain for Saturday's game. It was Lubbock Christian University with the lion's share of the homers though, as the evened the series and run-ruled Oklahoma Christian 23-13 at Hays Field.
 
The Chaps (18-21, 16-19) got eight round-trippers in the game from just four different players. Larry Leitha had three of them, clobbering one in the first, one in the sixth and one in the seventh to end the game. Nolan Machibroda and Mason Donohoe hit two each, but both lefties crushed grand slams for one of their home runs. The eighth and final home run came off the bat of Luis Navarro, who hit his eighth of the year.
 
LCU's eight home runs were one off the school record of nine, which has been done twice, including most recently on April 26, 2013 at Wayland Baptist. It was also one off the LSC record. The Chaps are the eighth NCAA Division II team with eight homers in a game and the only conference team to have reached that mark.
 
The 23 runs were the most by Lubbock Christian in a single game since March 29, 2019 when they scored 28. Leitha's three home runs were also the most since that game in 2019 against Newman when Andrew Pratt homered three times against the Jets.
 
OC broke through with the first home run of the game in the top of the first inning, getting two singles off Peyton Hutson before a three-run blast by Chance Westervelt. The Eagles added one more run to lead 4-0 heading into the bottom of the inning.
 
The Chaps got all four runs right back, as Leitha blasted his own three-run homer and Machibroda drove in a run with a single. Oklahoma Christian homered two more times in the second to take a 9-4 lead, but the scoring was far from over for the day.
 
An error in the second allowed LCU to plate two runs and Machibroda's first home run in the third inning made the scored 9-8. In the fourth, Navarro tied the game with his leadoff solo shot, before three walks loaded the bases for Machibroda, who promptly crushed a home run to center field on the first pitch he saw to give LCU a lead for the first time all day.
 
Lubbock Christian would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game, although it was not comfortable at all points. OC plated three runs without a homer in the top of the fifth to pull back within a run, but the Chaps continued to pile on in the bottom of the inning.
 
George Mendazona, who had a good day at the plate despite no homers, singled to start the sixth and came around to score on Leitha's second home run. Caden Hensley then reached on an error and scored on Donohoe's first home run. The last run of the inning came in when Mendazona came back up in the frame and walked with the bases loaded to make the score 18-12.
 
Oklahoma Christian scored its final run on a solo home run from Michael DiFiore, who increased his conference lead and now has 17 on the year. Cade Acrey then came on and got two outs to end the top of the sixth.
 
LCU went single, single, walk to start the bottom of the sixth to set up another bases-loaded chance with Donohoe coming to the plate and again converted, with the lefty crushing the ball over the center field wall.
 
A scoreless seventh inning by Acrey gave the Chaps a chance to get to the run rule margin in the bottom of the inning. Leitha did not make the fans wait long for the one run LCU needed, seeing four pitches before smacking another pitch to center field to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
52 | With eight home runs in the game, the Chaps now have 52 on the season. Last year's season was cut short, and they hit 60 in 2019 in 52 games
.588 | LCU hit an incredible .588 (10-17) with runners on base during the game. They are hitting .328 with runners on base overall this season
30 | With an infield single and a home run on the day, Chap catcher Luis Navarro stretched his hitting streak to 30 straight games. His last game without a hit was Feb. 22 against St. Mary's
4 | Although the winning margin ended up being 10 runs, the Eagles committed four errors in the game that led to five Chap runs for part of the gap
2.95 | With an inning and two thirds of scoreless work on the mound, Cade Acrey lowered his season ERA to 2.95, which leads the team
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps will have a chance to win the series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hays Field.