LUBBOCK, Texas (February 5, 2023) – No.21 Lubbock Christian University had seven players with multi-hit performances and received a complete game pitching performance
Maxine Valdez, as the Lady Chaparrals closed the Lubbock Sports College Classic with a 9-1 win in five innings Sunday afternoon at Maner Park.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: LCU 9, SWOSU 1
Records: LCU (4-1), SWOSU 1-3
Location: Lubbock, Texas (Maner Park)
Time of Game: 1:45
Weather: 73-Sunny (Wind – 9mph to LF)
LCU Highlights:
Turning Point:
Tiarra Delrosario's inside-the-park home run in the second inning put LCU up 5-0 to put the game out of reach early.
How it Happened:
LCU scored the first eight runs of the game, opening with a three-run first inning.
Kasey Flores highlighted the three-run inning with a monstrous blast to left field for a two-run home run.
Berkeley Quinn led off a four-run second inning with a ground-rule double and scored on a single hit by
Riley Flores. That setup a dropping liner hit opposite field (left field) by Delrosario. Katie Boline stabbed for the catch and was unsuccessful, which resulted in the ball going into the left field corner and Delrosario circling the bases with a stand-up home run.
Kasey Flores hit a two-out single to score
Hope Banales for the final run of the second inning.
Ally Oyanguren made it 8-0 in the fourth inning with an RBI-double down the right field line. LCU had an opportunity to add to the lead, as they had the bases loaded later in the inning with one out, but a tremendous defensive diving catch by SWOSU third baseman Skyla McPhillips prevented the Lady Chaps from increasing the lead.
SWOSU started to rally in the top of the fourth inning, as Skye Tilley and Jordyn Wadley hit back-to-back doubles to plate their first run of the game. It would turn out to be their lone run, as
Maxine Valdez would strikeout the side for a second time in the game.
In the home half of the fifth inning, LCU clinched the run-rule victory with a bases loaded rip to the left-centerfield gap by Skyler Herrera, which scored Oyanguren. It was the last of four consecutive hits by the Lady Chaps to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.
Inside the Numbers:
- Maxine Valdez improved to 2-0 on the season (21-9 in her LCU career). She claimed her first complete game of the season and the eighth of her LCU career. The start was the 31st of her career, which moved her into a share of eighth place in program history for starts.
- Kasey Flores's two-run home run in the first inning was her third of the season and 43rd of her NCAA career.
- With 15 hits, LCU closed out their opening weekend hitting .430, which leads all Lone Star Conference programs in the opening weekend.
- Seven Lady Chaps had multi-hit performances, including the top four of the batting order. Tierra Delrosario (2-for-3), Skyler Herrera (2-for-3), Hope Banales (2-for-3) and Kasey Flores (2-for-3) combined to go 8-for-12 in the game.
- The Lady Chaps were 8-for-13 with runners in scoring position (three players were 2-for-2 in the scenario) and 6-for-9 with runners in scoring position (Kasey Flores was 2-for-2 in at-bats with runners in scoring position and improved her mark on the season to 5-for-8).
HISTORICAL NOTE
Surprisingly, SWOSU and LCU were meeting for the first time in program history.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Lady Chaps prepares to host the Lubbock Sports College Invitational, which has them opening up hosting Chadron State Thursday at 2 p.m. at Maner Park.
