WICHITA FALLS, Texas (February 15, 2026) – History flirted with the circle Sunday at Mustang Park, as Lubbock Christian University's Natalee Gray carried a perfect game into the final inning before settling for something just as memorable, helping lift the Lady Chaps to a 3–2 victory in a marathon Lone Star Conference opener that matched the longest game in program history. Freshman Lexi Clark then delivered a dominant follow-up performance, tossing her first collegiate complete-game shutout as LCU closed out a doubleheader sweep with a 5–0 win over Midwestern State.
 
GAME 1
Lubbock Christian University used a pair of extra-inning rallies and a combined 13-inning pitching effort from Natalee Gray and Kendall Ward to outlast Midwestern State 3-2 in 13 innings in the opening game of the LSC doubleheader.
 
The Lady Chaps improved to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while the Mustangs slipped to 2-7 overall and 0-1 in the LSC. Ward (2-1) earned the win in relief, throwing seven innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Gray was dominant in her start, striking out eight and surrendering just one hit and one run over six innings.
 
Offensively, Lubbock Christian was paced by Kadin Vire, who went 3-for-6 with a double and scored a run, while Ashlinn Hamilton delivered the go-ahead triple and finished 2-for-6 with two RBI. Piper Garcia added a double and a run, Riley Flores doubled and drove in a run, and Brianna Chambers-Lee chipped in with a hit, a walk and a run scored.
 
Midwestern State received a two-hit performance from Erikha Ibarra-Subia, while Madison Stewart and Stormy Daniel each drove in a run for the Mustangs. Isabela Cornell (1-1) took the loss after allowing the deciding run in the 13th inning.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams were held scoreless through four innings as Gray and Kayleigh Bowers matched zeros. Lubbock Christian broke through in the fifth when Garcia doubled to left and scored on a double by Flores to give the Lady Chaps a 1-0 lead.
 
Midwestern State answered in the bottom of the seventh after Ibarra-Subia doubled to open the inning and later scored on an RBI single by Stewart, evening the game at 1-1.
 
The Lady Chaps regained the lead in the eighth as Chambers-Lee singled and Hamilton followed with an RBI triple to left-center, pushing Lubbock Christian in front 2-1. The Mustangs countered in the bottom half when former Lady Chap Hayeli Acosta reached on an error and eventually scored on an infield single by Daniel to tie the contest at 2-2.
 
Neither team scored in the ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th innings as Ward worked out of multiple jams, including stranding runners in the 10th and 11th.
 
In the 13th, Lubbock Christian finally broke the deadlock. Vire singled to start the inning and later came around to score on a run-producing hit by Hamilton to give the Lady Chaps a 3-2 advantage. Ward retired the Mustangs in order in the bottom of the frame to secure the extra-inning victory.
 
GAME NOTES

» LCU opened conference play on the road for the first time since 2022 (at Oklahoma Christian and also resulting in a win) and opened with a victory to improve to 11-8 all-time in conference openers. They are no 4-3 in LSC openers.
 
» Natalee Gray was making her first appearance since Tuesday's Perfect Game in Costa Mesa, Calif. against Vanguard. She nearly completed the task of back-to-back perfect games, as she went 6.0 innings until allowing a baserunner Sunday. Midwestern's State's Erikha Ibarra-Subia broke up the perfect game with a double down the left field line to leadoff the bottom of the seventh inning. Gray went 13.0 consecutive innings and faced 39 consecutive batters without allowing a hit.
 
» Vire, who leads LCU in multi-hit games, matched a career-high in hits with three (went 3-for-6 at the plate). It marked her first three-hit game of the season.
 
» In the top of the eighth inning, Ashlin Hamilton crushed a triple to left-centerfield to regain LCU's lead. The triple was the senior's first of her career.
 
» The game lasted 3:03 and went 13 innings. It matched the longest game in program history (fourth time LCU has played 13 innings, with the last being May 12,2022 when LCU and Angelo went 13 innings at the NCAA Div. II South Central Regionals in Tyler, Texas, which LCU won 6-5). It stands as the longest game in NCAA softball (all-levels).
 
» The contest was LCU's second extra-inning affair this season and LCU is 1-1 in games decided in overtime. The only prior overtime game this season was in Lake Elsinore, Calif., where LCU 11-10.
 
» MSU played in a one-run game for a seventh time this season and they fell to 2-5 in games decided by a run.
 
 
GAME 2
LCU used a five-run outburst across the second and third innings and a complete-game shutout from freshman Lexi Clark to blank Midwestern State 5–0 in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader, completing a road sweep and securing its third shutout of the season and third in a four-game span.
 
LCU improved to 6-6 overall and 2-0 in Lone Star Conference play, while the Mustangs slipped to 2-8 and 0-2 in league action. Clark (2-1) went the distance in the circle, scattering four hits, issuing one walk and striking out two while throwing 89 pitches. Offensively, the Lady Chaps were paced by Kadin Vire, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored, while Ashlinn Hamilton finished 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Brianna Chambers-Lee added an RBI double, and Clark helped her own cause with a two-run double in the second inning.
 
For Midwestern State, Chipper Mayorga went 2-for-3, and Tatum Waller doubled, accounting for two of the Mustangs' four hits. Shyanne Florence (0-3) took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) in 2.1 innings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After both teams worked around early base runners in the first inning, Lubbock Christian struck first in the top of the second. Hamilton drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Julie Muniz. Piper Garcia was hit by a pitch, and with two aboard, Clark lined a double down the left-field line to score Hamilton and Garcia, giving the Lady Chaps a 2-0 advantage.
 
LCU added to the lead in the third. Vire opened the frame with a double and advanced to third on a groundout. Chambers-Lee followed with a double to left to drive her in, and Hamilton singled down the right-field line to plate Chambers-Lee. After a Midwestern State fielding error extended the inning, Hamilton took advantage by stealing home, pushing the margin to 5-0.
 
From there, Clark took over in the circle. The freshman retired 11 of the final 13 batters she faced and did not allow a runner past second base after the third inning. Midwestern State's best scoring chance came in the fourth, when Waller doubled with two outs, but Clark induced a flyout to strand the runner.
 
Lubbock Christian threatened again in the fourth when Coryn Burris doubled to left-center, but MSU reliever Audrey Sierra worked out of the jam. Neither team would score over the final four innings as Clark closed out the complete-game shutout to seal the Lady Chaps' series sweep and another dominant road performance
 
GAME NOTES
» In their first seven games, LCU did not hold the opposition to less than seven hits in a game, but in the last five games, no opposing team has produced more than six hits.
 
» The Lady Chaps produced a second consecutive shutout win, for their first set of consecutive shutouts this season.
 
» Clark pitched her first complete game and first shutout of the season and of her collegiate career.
 
» Vire completed a 5-for-9 afternoon with a 2-for-3 performance to notch her team-leading eighth multi-hit game of the season. She also extended her hit streak and her streak of reaching base safely to nine games (each).
 
» The Lady Chaps improve to 4-0 in true road games this season.

HISTORY LESSON
LCU, who was swept last season in their trip to Mustang Park, improved to 7-2 all-time against the Mustangs in Wichita Falls and improved to 15-6 all-time in the overall head-to-head series.  
 
WHAT'S NEXT
After 12 games to open the season away from home, the Lady Chaps will finally return to Maner Park Friday for a Lone star Conference doubleheader hosting UT Permian Basin for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.