SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 9, 2025) – Kaden Vire and Baylea Myers each recorded five hits on the day as Lubbock Christian University earned a Lone Star Conference doubleheader split at St. Mary's Softball Stadium. The Lady Chaps edged St. Mary's 3-2 in the opener before falling 3-1 in the second game Sunday.
Game 1
Lubbock Christian (17-8, 8-7 LSC) secured a 3-2 victory in the opener, thanks to a stellar performance from Gray (4-1) and clutch hitting from Baylea Myers, who drove in two runs with a pair of doubles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
LCU struck early, plating a run in the first inning. Kadin Vire led off with a single and moved into scoring position on a fielder's choice. Myers then delivered with an RBI double to right center, scoring Riley Flores to put the Chaparrals up 1-0.
In the third inning, LCU extended the lead. Vire reached base again and stole second before Myers stepped up once more, ripping another double to bring Vire home for a 2-0 advantage.
St. Mary's (14-12, 9-6 LSC) struggled to generate offense against Gray, who tossed five strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits. The Rattlers finally broke through in the sixth, capitalizing on a walk and a double from Miah Corona to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Chaparrals added an insurance run in the sixth. Ashlinn Hamilton singled, and after a hit-by-pitch put a second runner aboard, Vire came through with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 3-1.
The Rattlers threatened in the seventh, with Abigail Dela Rosa singling and later scoring on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. With the tying run on base, Ward entered in relief and slammed the door, securing her third save of the season with a groundout to end the game.
GAME NOTES
» Myers finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, both on doubles. Also with a 3-for-4 performance was Kadin Vire, who added an RBI and two stolen bases.
» Natalee Gray improved to 4-1, striking out one and walking three over five innings.
» Kendall Ward notched her third save of the season, which co-leads the LSC.
» The Chaparrals left nine runners on base but held the Rattlers to just 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
» The Lady Chaps improved to 3-1 in one-run decisions this season.
Game 2
St. Mary's bounced back in the nightcap, using a three-run fifth inning to take control and defeat Lubbock Christian 4-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
LCU struck first in the second inning when Myers singled and later scored on an RBI groundout by Kendra Levesque, giving the Chaparrals a 1-0 lead.
The lead held until the fifth inning when St. Mary's broke through. A leadoff walk and a bunt single set the table before Corona delivered an RBI double to tie the game. With runners in scoring position, Lauryn Ramos lined a two-run single to left, putting the Rattlers ahead 3-1.
LCU threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with one out after back-to-back singles from Kristen Boyd and Kawehi Ili. However, a strikeout and a pop-out ended the scoring opportunity.
StMU added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Gabriela Banda, extending the lead to 4-1. LCU went down in order in the seventh, sealing the loss
GAME NOTES
» LCU managed just six hits in the contest. Of the 11 games this season LCU has hit six-or-less hits, four have occurred over the past five games.
» The Lady Chaps left seven runners on base and were just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position
» Kaden Vire and Baylea Myers each went 5-for-8 on the afternoon.
» LCU leaves the series with Kaden Vire leading the squad actively with a three-game hit streak and Kristen Boyd leading with an active streak of five consecutive games reaching base safely.
» The split places LCU record at 3-5 in road games on the season.
HISTORY LESSON
The afternoon split has StMU edging LCU in the all-time series 24-23, as LCU fell to 9-19 in games against StMU in San Antonio, Texas..
WHAT'S NEXT
LCU returns home this weekend to host Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico. Schedule changes are pending for Friday's game against ENMU.
