OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (March 4, 2023) – No.7 Lubbock Christian University pitcher Taylor Franco became the second player in Lady Chaparrals program history to register 500 strikeouts, but it was one of few highlights for the weekend, as LCU was swept 5-2, 5-4 and 2-0 at Oklahoma Christian in a Lone Star Conference series.
 
Franco became the 11^th active player in NCAA Division II to reach the 500-strikeout plateau. The milestone "K" came Saturday, in LCU's 2-0 loss to the Lady Eagles. She completed Saturday's contest with six strikeouts, which has her with 501 in her LCU career. LCU's career leader in strikeouts is Katera Eltsosie, who had 613 career strikeouts from 2013-2017.
 
Outside of Franco's milestone mark, it was an uneventful weekend for the Lady Chaps, who were held to 10 hits in the three-game series. LCU was limited to six players achieving at least one hit, while six players with at least two at-bats in the series went hitless. Berkeley Quinn, who ended a no-hitter in the top of the seventh inning Saturday with a single, hit .375 with a trio of hits (3-for-8). Bailey Hughes (3) and Kasey Flores (1) were the only Lady Chaps with run-batted-in statistics for LCU.
 
GAME 1
 
OC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening game of the series, which was the first of Friday's doubleheader. The Lady Eagles had their first two batters reach, setting up a RBI hit into by Whitney Walde. LCU, who went errorless in their prior series against Texas Woman's, committed an error in the opening frame to prolong the three-run inning.
 
LCU walked seven OC batters in the contest and hit one in addition. The hit-by-pitch in the fifth inning led to OC extending the lead to 4-0. Riley Lunsford hit into an error in right field, which allowed LCU's only two runs to score.
 
Jill Dickson struck out 10 LCU batters in a 7.0 complete game effort and did not allow an unearned run. She improved to 6-1 on the season. Franco (6-4) allowed two earned runs off five hits in 4.1 innings.
 
GAME 2
 
A pair of solo home runs put OC up early in the second game of Friday's doubleheader, as Brianna "Boo" Robinson homered in the second inning and Kristen Whitehouse hit a dinger in the third inning for a 2-0 lead. LCU cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth inning with a double, which scored Tiarra Delrosario prior to Kasey Flores being thrown out while returning to second base on the double she produced.
 
LCU made things interesting in the seventh inning while trailing 5-1. Bailey Hughes pinched hit with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and belted a three-run home run to cut the deficit to 5-4. The home run was Hughes' second of her career and first of the season (placing LCU with nine players with at least one home run on the season), and it turned out to be LCU's lone home run of the series.
 
Sydnee Bowlin followed Hughes' at-bat with a ground-out to end the game. Maxine Valdez suffered the loss in the circle (6-2), allowing four earned runs off seven hits in 5.2 innings. UT Tyler transfer Payton Foster, who was the 2021 LSC Pitcher of the Year, held LCU to one run off three hits in 4.1 innings to improve to 5-0 on the campaign.
 
GAME 3
 
Saturday, LCU loaded the bases in the first inning with one out and all three players reached base on walks. LCU would end up stranding all three runners and it came back to haunt them in a 2-0 loss and near-no-hitter by Dickson. Once the bases were loaded in the first inning, Dickson went on to retire the next eight batters.
 
LCU had another chance to score in the fourth inning, but Hope Banales, who led off with a walk, was thrown out at home and LCU was unable to get on the scoreboard. Berkeley Quinn ended the no-hit bid in the top of the seventh inning with a leadoff single up the middle. LCU avoided the no-no, but was unable to avoid the complete-game one-hit shutout by Dickson. Who moved to 7-1 in the circle.
 
Franco struck out six batters to reach 500 strikeouts, but suffered the loss (6-5) allowing two runs off seven hits in a six-inning complete game effort.
 
LCU fell to 6-6 in LSC play with the trio of losses and they are 16-7 overall. The Lady Chaps return home Tuesday to host Eastern New Mexico Tuesday for a 3 p.m. first pitch.