LUBBOCK, Texas (February 8,2025) – Lubbock Christian University wrapped up its Saturday action at the Lubbock Sports College Invitational with a pair of dominant five-inning wins. The Lady Chaparrals cruised past Adams State 11-2 and Sul Ross State 13-5 at Maner Park, extending their winning streak to eight games as they concluded their pre-conference schedule.
 
Game 1 – vs. Adams State
Freshman Natalee Gray dominated on Saturday, punching out 12 Adams State hitters over five innings of work to help power the Lubbock Christian Chaparrals over the Grizzlies 11-2.
 
In addition to her 12 strikeouts, Gray (2-1) went five innings, giving up two runs, zero earned, on three hits and walking five for Lubbock Christian (8-1).
 
Offensively, the Chaparrals were paced by junior Madison Ruiz, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a triple and two RBI. Senior Kristen Boyd put together a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Senior Kendra Levesque also chipped in for Lubbock Christian, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a triple and an RBI.
 
Brooklyn Burgess (0-1) took the loss for Adams State, surrendering 11 runs (10 earned) on nine hits in four innings of work. The Grizzlies struggled to generate offense, recording just three hits and striking out 12 times against Gray.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lubbock Christian struck early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After Ili singled and stole second, Baylea Myers walked to put two runners on. Boyd then delivered a two-run single up the middle, with an error allowing her to advance to second.
 
The Lady Chaps extended their lead in the second inning with a four-run outburst. Ruiz tripled to right-center to score Ashlinn Hamilton, who had reached on a walk. Ili followed with an RBI single, and Myers added a two-run single to push the lead to 6-0.
Levesque came around to score an unearned run in the third after reaching on an error, extending the lead to 7-0.
 
Adams State broke through in the fourth inning with two unearned runs, capitalizing on an LCU error. Sydney Rodriguez singled and later came around to score after a walk and a defensive miscue. A bases-loaded walk to Jayde Garcia plated another run, cutting the deficit to 7-2.
 
LCU responded immediately with a four-run bottom of the fourth to put the game out of reach. Prisock walked and stole second before Yaya Kaaialii drove her in with a single up the middle. Boyd followed with an RBI single, and Levesque delivered an RBI triple. Hamilton capped the scoring with an RBI groundout to make it 11-2.
 
Gray closed the game in dominant fashion, striking out the final batter to seal the run-rule victory.
 
GAME NOTES
» Gray struck out 12 Grizzlies hitters. It marked the third consecutive game LCU produced at least 10 strikeouts, which ties a program record, which had not been completed since the inaugural 2008 season.

» The Chaparrals out-hit the Grizzlies at a 9-3 clip.

» Sophomore Cat Prisock stole two bases in the game, as LCU produced five total steals.

» Lubbock Christian went 6-for-14 (.429) with runners in scoring position.

» Gray held Adams State to 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

» Ruiz and Levesque each produced a triple in the game, as the two triples marked a season high by the Lady Chaps. Levesque became the fourth Lady Chaps member this season to produce a triple.

HISTORY LESSON
» LCU improved to 4-0 all-time against Adams State (2-0 this season) and all three meetings have been played in Lubbock.
 
Game 2 – vs. SRSU
Senior Kawehi Ili racked up five RBIs to help power the Lady Chaparrals past Sul Ross State 13-5 in the second game.
 
Freshman Kendall Ward (2-0) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Lubbock Christian (9-1). The right-hander went 3.2 shutout innings while giving up two hits, allowing no walks and striking out two.
 
Ili went 2-for-2 with a home run in addition to her five RBIs for the Chaparrals. Sophomore Kadin Vire put together a noteworthy performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk and two RBI. Senior Kendra Levesque also contributed for Lubbock Christian, putting together three hits in three trips to the plate while adding two doubles.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sul Ross State struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Jenna Leanos led off with a single, stole second, and eventually stole home on a double steal to give the Lady Lobos an early advantage.
 
LCU responded emphatically in the bottom half, exploding for 10 runs on seven hits while capitalizing on three errors. After Vire walked and stole second and third, Ili brought her home with an RBI single to tie the game. Following an error that allowed another run to score, Bailey Hughes and Flores added RBI singles to extend the lead. Vire returned to the plate later in the inning and delivered a two-run single before Ili capped the scoring barrage with a blistering three-run home run to right field, putting LCU ahead 10-1.
 
Sul Ross battled back with a four-run second inning, chasing Farrar from the game. The Lady Lobos strung together four hits, including an RBI single from Tori Owens and a two-run single by Ciera Avila, trimming the deficit to 10-5. Ward entered the game with two runners on and induced a groundout to escape further damage.
 
LCU added a run in the second when Flores singled home Levesque, and another in the third when Vire tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ili, pushing the lead to 12-5.
The Lady Chaps put the game out of reach in the fourth when Levesque doubled and later scored on an error, making it 13-5. Ward shut down Sul Ross State in the fifth, striking out the final batter to seal the run-rule victory.
 
GAME NOTES
» Lubbock Christian received 3-for-3 games from both Levesque and Flores.

» Ili drove in five runs for LCU, which is a single-game high by a Lady Chaps member this season.

» Lubbock Christian's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed 10 runs across. It is the second time this season LCU has produced at least 10 runs in an inning.

» The Chaparrals out-hit the Lobos at a 12-7 clip.

» Lubbock Christian went 7-for-12 (.583) with runners in scoring position.

» LCU's eight-game win streak is their best win streak since an 11-game win streak during the 2023 season.
 
» The Lady Chaps improved to 5-0 at home.
 
HISTORY LESSON
» The meeting marked the first-ever matchup between the two programs. SRSU is the newest member of the Lone Star Conference, but this meeting was a non-conference meeting. The two teams will meet four more times this season (pair of home-and-home doubleheaders).  
 
WHAT'S NEXT
»Due to expectations of cool windchills, teams agreed to cancel Sunday's games of the Lubbock Sports College Invitational. LCU was scheduled to play Chadron State, but that will be marked as canceled. Their next game is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. to open a Lone Star Conference doubleheader against Cameron for their LSC opener.