CANYON, Texas (May 7, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University saw its postseason run come to an end Thursday afternoon, as No.3-seed and No.18 Angelo State used a pair of early home runs to claim a 4-1 victory in a Lone Star Conference Championship quarterfinal matchup at Schaeffer Park in Canyon. The Lady Chaparrals close their season at 36-23 (26-19 LSC), while Angelo State improved to 44-12 (33-8 LSC) and advanced in the nine-team single-elimination tournament.
Angelo State struck early behind freshman Zoey Sifuentes, who delivered two home runs and drove in three runs, while Tatiana Trotter added a solo shot as part of a three-run opening frame that proved to be the difference. Maddison Ruiz (15-6) earned the win in the circle, allowing one run on three hits over four innings with five strikeouts, while Addy Ewing secured her fourth save with three hitless innings of relief, striking out five.
Lubbock Christian freshman
Lexi Clark (11-9) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs in the opening inning. Senior
Ashlinn Hamilton provided a spark for the Lady Chaps, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run and also delivering 5.2 innings of relief, allowing just one run while keeping LCU within striking distance.
Coryn Burris led LCU with a 2-for-3 performance, accounting for two of the team's three hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Angelo State wasted no time setting the tone, continuing a season-long trend against LCU by scoring in the opening inning. After a one-out walk by Kylie Forney, Sifuentes launched a two-run home run to left field. Two batters later, Trotter followed with a solo shot to deep center, giving the Rambelles a quick 3-0 advantage and forcing an early pitching change for Lubbock Christian.
Hamilton entered in relief and settled things down, but Angelo State added to its lead in the third inning when Sifuentes struck again, sending a solo home run to right field to extend the margin to 4-0.
Lubbock Christian answered in the fourth inning, as Hamilton led off with a towering solo home run to right field, trimming the deficit to 4-1. Burris followed with a single to give LCU momentum, but the Lady Chaps were unable to string together additional offense, as Ruiz and the Angelo State defense limited further damage.
The Lady Chaps threatened in the fifth, drawing a walk and advancing a runner into scoring position, but Ewing entered in relief and shut the door, striking out the side to halt the rally. From there, Ewing dominated in the circle, retiring nine of the final 10 batters she faced to secure the victory.
Hamilton continued to keep LCU within reach in the circle, working around traffic in the fifth and sixth innings and holding Angelo State scoreless after the third, but the Lady Chaps could not solve the Rambelles' pitching down the stretch. In the seventh, LCU managed to get a runner aboard with two outs, but a lineout to left field ended the game and Lubbock Christian's NCAA postseason hopes.
Angelo State improved to 5-0 against LCU this season, scoring in the first inning in all five meetings, while the Lady Chaparrals, who entered the week ranked No.10 in the South Central Region, are likely to see their season conclude with the quarterfinal loss.
GAME NOTES
» The game marked LCU's final game for four seniors, as
Sophia Reyes (56 games),
Piper Garcia (89),
Ashlinn Hamilton (130 games, 55 appearances in the circle) and
Riley Flores (199 games) dressed for a last time in a Lady Chaps uniform.
» Hamilton homered for a 10
th time this season and 17
th time in her LCU career. Her home run was her first postseason home run as a Lady Chap. Hamilton ended the season on an eight-game hit streak.
» LCU was held to three hits, which marked their fifth game of the season held to three hits or less. Additionally, they struck out 10 times at the plate, which marked their third time this season to accumulate at least 10 strikeouts.
» Of LCU's three hits, two were by freshman
Coryn Burris, who notched her 11
th multi-hit game of the season to finish tied for second on the squad in the category.
» LCU, making their sixth LSC Championship (tournament) appearance, fell to 2-6 all-time in the tournament, and they move to 2-3 in Canyon.
» The Lady Chaps, who went 0-11 against nationally ranked programs, have their season close with a 28-23 overall record.
HISTORY LESSON
LCU's loss marked their seventh consecutive loss to the Rambelles, who take a 20-8 all-time series lead over the Lady Chaps. LCU fell to 3-3 all-time against ASU in neutral site meetings and it was their first loss to ASU in Canyon (2-1 in meetings in Canyon). The teams are now 2-2 against each other all-time in postseason meetings.
