LUBBOCK, Texas (March 25, 2023) – St. Edward's entered Saturday's doubleheader against No.11 Lubbock Christian University with three home runs allowed on the season, but in their Lone Star Conference doubleheader at Maner Park, Kasey Flores hit a three-run home run in the opener and Ally Oyanguren hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the second game to give LCU a 7-1 and 4-0 win to sweep the doubleheader.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Game 1: LCU 7, SEU 1 / Game 2: LCU 4, SEU 0
Records: LCU (29-8, 19-7), SEU (19-13, 13-10)
Location: Lubbock, Texas (Maner Park)
Time of Game: Game 1: 2:05 / Game 2: 1:45
Weather: Game 1: 56-Sunny/Windy W-Gusts to 43mph to RF / Game 2: 64-Sunny, W-Gusts to 24mph to RF
 
GAME 1
 
LCU Highlights:

• Kasey Flores – 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
• Riley Flores – 1-for-2, RBI
• Taylor Franco – 7.0 inn. CG, 9 strikeouts

Turning Point:
A four run first inning, which included a three-run home run by Kasey Flores.

How it Happened:
In the bottom of the first inning, SEU starting pitcher McKenna Leamon walked the first two batters she faced (Berkeley Quinn and Tiarra Delrosario). She bounced back with a strikeout, but Kasey Flores followed with a three-run home run to centerfield. Leamon only stuck around to face the first five batters before being replaced in the circle by Kylen Padget, who managed to go the rest of the way, but did allow a RBI single from Riley Flores in the four-run first inning.
 
SEU tallied their only run in the fifth inning, but were unable to find timely hits. They loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning, but Taylor Franco was able to strikeout a pair to leave them stranded (with the bases loaded). The Hilltoppers committed two errors in the fifth inning, which allowed three LCU runs to score to complete the game's scoring.  

Inside the Numbers:

• Taylor Franco moved into second place on LCU's career win list, as she won her 67^th career game (67-30). Franco went 7.0 innings and allowed one run off seven hits en route to her 14^th complete game of the season and the 64^th of her career. She had nine strikeouts to place her with 549 in her career (second in program history).
• SEU hit into 10 groundouts and flew out once. They were also 2-of-15 as a team with runners on base and 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
• Kasey Flores produced a home run in first at-bat to place her with 54 career home runs and with 14 on the season. The three-run dinger led to her 16^th multi-RBI game of the season.
• Hope Banales had her 12-game hit streak (the longest by a Lady Chap this season) end and her team-leading 14-game streak of reaching base safely.
• LCU improved to 14-1 when scoring in the first inning and 24-1 when scoring first.

GAME 2
 
LCU Highlights:

• Ally Oyanguren – 1-for-3, HR, 4 RBI
• Skylar Herrera – 1-for-3, 2B
• Maxine Valdez – 7.0 inn. CG shutout, 5 strikeouts, 4 hits allowed

Turning Point:
Ally Oyanguren pinch-hit grand slam in the second inning, which was all of the scoring in the game.

How it Happened:
Skylar Herrera led off the second inning with a double, but was unable to score after singles from Victoria Owens and Kamryn Gibbs, which loaded the bases. Ally Oyanguren pinched hit and launched a grand slam to straightaway-centerfield for a 4-0 lead.
 
The Hilltoppers tried to answer back in the third inning, as they had two runners in scoring position and the tying run on the on-deck circle, but Maxine Valdez struck out Hailey Sonka to end the threat.
 
Valdez retired eight consecutive SEU batters and only allowed one run over the final 4.1 innings.  

Inside the Numbers:

• Maxine Valdez went the distance for a 16^th time in her career and the ninth of the season. She claimed her fifth shutout of the season and eighth of her career. She has gone 17.0 scoreless innings in her career against SEU with 15 strikeouts.
• Ally Oyanguren hit LCU's third grand slam of the season and her second of the season. It was her second home run of the season and both have been slams. The pinch hit was her first pinch-hit hit (1-for-3) of the season. LCU has eight pinch-hit hit and the second resulting in a home run (Bailey Hughes at Oklahoma Christian).
• Kasey Flores went 1-for-3 to complete a four-hit day, as she was 4-for-7.
• Hope Banales had her 12-game hit streak (the longest by a Lady Chap this season) end and her team-leading 14-game streak of reaching base safely.
• LCU improved to 15-1 when scoring in the first inning and 25-1 when scoring first.
• The Lady Chaps moved to 22-3 on the season in games in which they hit a home run.

 
HISTORICAL NOTE
With LCU's doubleheader sweep, they improved to 22-8 all-time against SEU. LCU improved to 15-2 all-time against SEU in Lubbock. LCU has won 10 straight games for a second time this season.

WHAT'S NEXT:
The Lady Chaps close out their Lone Star Conference series against St. Edward's with a single game set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Maner Park.