WICHITA FALLS, Texas (February 21, 2023) – Umpires gathered and met in the second inning to rule that a line drive hit towards first base hit the first baseman and not the Midwestern State runner at first base. The decision of "hit" did not impact the end result of a 9-0 run-rule (five innings) Lone Star Conference victory for No.9 Lubbock Christian University, but it proved to be the lone hit allowed, as LCU's Taylor Franco pitched a complete game no-hitter at Mustang Park.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: LCU 9, MSU 0
Records: LCU (11-4, 1-3), MSU (1-10, 0-4)
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas (Mustang Park)
Time of Game: 1:46
Weather: 84, Wind South at 18 MPH

LCU Highlights:

• Taylor Franco – complete game 1-hit shutout with 7 strikeouts
• Tiarra Delrosario – 2-for-4, 2 RBI
• Skylar Herrera – 3-for-3, 2B, 2 runs

Turning Point:
Sydnee Bowlin, hitting at the bottom of the order, led off the top of the third inning with a double, which was followed by singles from Tiarra Delrosario and Hope Banales, which led to three-run inning and a 4-0 LCU lead.

How it Happened:
Skylar Herrera led off the top of the second inning with a double and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Quinn Berkeley for a 1-0 lead. LCU built on the lead in the third inning with a three-run frame. Bowlin led off with a double and was the first of four straight batters to produce a hit. Banales hit a RBI-single through the right side to open the third inning scoring. Victoria Owens hit a deep fly ball to centerfield with the bases loaded, resulting in a sacrifice fly to score Delrosario for a 3-0 lead. A double-steal allowed Banales to steal home to close the scoring in the inning.
 
The rest of the scoring occurred in a five-run fifth inning. Quinn and Riley Lunsford each notched an RBI and with two outs, Delrosario singled in a pair of runs to put the run-rule in place. MSU was unable to prolong the game, as Franco did not allow a hit to the final 15 batters she faced.

Inside the Numbers:

• Taylor Franco improved to 4-3 on the season, while registering her 60^th career win (60-27). In the process, she claimed her sixth complete game (56^th of her career) and third shutout of the season (25^th of her career). Franco has five complete games this season that involve holding the opposition to three hits or less.
• The shutout is LCU's fifth of the season and the run-rule win is their seventh of the season and each have been in the fifth inning.
• LCU notched a season high with two sacrifice flies. The Lady Chaps, who now have five on the season, had four games last season in which they had two sacrifice flies.
• LCU improved to 8-0 in games they are error free.
• Sydnee Bowlin, making her fourth start of the season, went 2-for-2 with a double to place her season average at .500 on the season (8-for-16).
• Tiarra Delrosario was 2-for-4, which extended her hit streak to three games (actively leads LCU).
• LCU was 5-for-5 scoring the runner from third base with less than two outs.

 
HISTORICAL NOTE
LCU moved to 6-4 all-time against MSU, as they claimed their fifth consecutive win in the all-time series. The Lady Chaps also improved to 3-0 all-time in Wichita Falls against MSU.

WHAT'S NEXT:
The Lady Chaps and Mustangs complete their three-game LSC series Wednesday at noon with a doubleheader at Mustang Park.