SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 10, 2026) – What began as the final stop of Lubbock Christian University's eight-game road trip turned into a two-day marathon. After multiple lightning delays forced Sunday's Lone Star Conference doubleheader to spill into Monday, St. Mary's completed a series sweep of the Lady Chaparrals at St. Mary's Softball Stadium. The Rattlers opened with a 5-0 shutout Sunday before rallying from a 1-0 deficit when play resumed Monday morning to claim a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.
 
GAME 1
St. Mary's used a pair of multi-run innings and a strong pitching performance to defeat Lubbock Christian 5-0 in the opening game.
 
Lubbock Christian (12-11, 8-5 LSC) was limited to five hits, with Kadin Vire, Ashlinn Hamilton, Coryn Burris and Riley Flores each collecting hits. Burris led the Lady Chaps with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Sophomore Natalee Gray (5-3) took the loss after allowing two runs over 2.2 innings, while junior Reese Farrar tossed the final 3.1 innings in relief. St. Mary's (16-8, 7-4 LSC) was paced by Samiya Johnson, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Raegan Tennill, who drove in two runs with a triple. Ariella Saenz (7-3) earned the win, scattering four hits and striking out four across 5.1 scoreless innings before Emery Aguilar closed the final 1.2 innings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
St. Mary's struck first in the second inning when Samiya Johnson delivered an RBI single to shallow center, scoring Abigail Dela Rosa for a 1-0 lead. The Rattlers added another run in the third after Gabriela Banda drew a walk, stole second and later scored on Dela Rosa's RBI double to left-center.
 
Lubbock Christian threatened in the fourth inning when Vire singled and Burris followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners with one out, but Saenz escaped the jam with back-to-back groundouts to keep the Lady Chaps off the board.
 
St. Mary's extended its lead in the fourth inning as Johnson and Bryley Westfahl opened the frame with singles before Raegan Tennill cleared the bases with a two-out triple to right field, pushing the Rattlers' advantage to 4-0.
 
LCU mounted its best opportunity in the sixth inning when Vire walked, Hamilton singled and Burris lined a single to center to load the bases with one out. However, the Rattlers turned a pitcher-to-catcher-to-first double play at the plate to end the threat.
 
St. Mary's added an insurance run in the sixth on Iliana Melendez's RBI groundout, and the Rattlers retired the Lady Chaps in order in the seventh to secure the 5-0 victory.
 
GAME NOTES
» LCU suffered their second shutout loss of the season (their first in a true road game).
 
» Coryn Burris had LCU's only multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 at the plate. It was her fifth multi-hit game of the season and the pair of hits matched a season high total.
 
» Four of StMU's five runs came on two-out RBI, as the Rattlers hit .444 (4-for-9) in two-out at-bats.
 
GAME 2
St. Mary's rallied with a four-run third inning in unusual weather conditions to defeat Lubbock Christian 4-2 in the second game of a Lone Star Conference softball doubleheader.
 
The contest stretched across two days after multiple lightning delays Sunday forced the game to be suspended and resumed Monday morning in damp, foggy conditions. Lubbock Christian (12-12, 8-6 LSC) collected six hits, led by Kadin Vire, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Alexis Clark also doubled and scored, while Madison Hunter added a hit and a run.
 
Clark (4-3) took the loss after allowing three runs in two innings before shifting to center field, while Ashlinn Hamilton allowed one run over four innings of relief. St. Mary's (17-8, 9-3 LSC) managed just two hits but capitalized on three walks, two LCU errors and several stolen bases. Iliana Melendez drove in two runs, and Emery Aguilar (5-1) earned the win with six innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Lubbock Christian struck first in the opening inning when Madison Hunter singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Kadin Vire's RBI single to give the Lady Chaps a 1-0 lead.
 
The game was interrupted by weather multiple times Sunday, including a lengthy delay before first pitch and another lightning delay before the bottom of the third inning that ultimately forced officials to suspend play until Monday morning. When play resumed, LCU still held the 1-0 advantage.
 
The restart proved difficult for the Lady Chaps as damp, foggy conditions contributed to a chaotic third inning. After a hit batter and a walk put two runners aboard, Iliana Melendez lined a single to center that drove in two runs and advanced to second on an outfield error. A stolen base and wild pitch later allowed Melendez to score, and Gabriela Banda eventually crossed the plate on a fielder's choice as St. Mary's scored four runs in the inning despite recording just one hit.
 
LCU responded in the fourth inning when Alexis Clark doubled down the right-field line and moved to third on Vire's single. Riley Flores was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home Clark and trim the deficit to 4-2.
 
The Lady Chaps had limited chances the rest of the way as Aguilar settled in for St. Mary's, retiring nine of the final 11 batters she faced. Freshman Julie Muniz delivered a pinch-hit single in the seventh to put the potential tying run aboard, but the Rattlers recorded the final out to secure the 4-2 victory.
 
GAME NOTES
» LCU held an opponent to three-or-less hits in a game for the fifth time this season (third in a road game), as the Lady Chaps lost despite holding the Rattlers to two runs. The last time LCU held an opponent to two-or-less hits and lost was Feb. 24, 2024 at Texas Woman's (2-1 loss in a one-hitter).
 
» Kadin Vire had a pair of hits (only Lady Chaps in the game to do so), which extended her team lead in multi-hit games to 11 (eight are two-hit performances). She was 3-for-5 (.600) on the day at the plate in the combined two games. 
 
» Vire, who had a 12-game hit streak earlier in the season, actively leads LCU with a three-game hit streak. Riley Flores and Vire actively co-lead in reaching base safely, reaching in six straight contests.
 
» LCU went 1-for-13 (.077) in two-out at-bats in the series, and they also scored a runner from third base with less than two outs once on eight chances. In the second game, the two teams combined to go 0-for-11 in two-out at-bats (LCU was 0-for-6).  
 
» The Lady Chaps went 5-3 on their eight-game road trip, which places their road record on the season at 9-3.

HISTORY LESSON
The sweep by the Rattlers has them with three straight wins over LCU, and they have won five of the last six matchups to extend their all-time series lead to 26-23 over the Lady Chaps. The last seven meetings have all been in San Antonio, where LCU is 9-21 all-time.  
 
WHAT'S NEXT
LCU returns home to Maner Park Sunday for a 1 p.m. Lone Star Conference doubleheader against Midwestern State.