Story Links




Angelo State

Next Game:

Angelo State

2/22/2026 | 1:00 PM


Feb. 22 (Sun) / 1:00 PM


 Angelo State

History

LUBBOCK, Texas (February 20, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University opened its home slate in dominant fashion, sweeping a Lone Star Conference doubleheader with a pair of run-rule victories at Maner Park. The Lady Chaparrals erupted for 23 runs on 26 hits and delivered three separate five-run innings, cruising to a 9-1 win in six innings and a 14-0 shutout in five innings Saturday.
 
GAME 1
Freshman Alexis Pacheco jump-started a five-run fourth inning with a solo home run and finished with three hits and three RBI to lead Lubbock Christian to a 9-1 victory over UT Permian Basin in a game that stood as LCU’s home opener and UTPB’s LSC opener. The Lady Chaps improved to 7-6 overall and 3-0 in conference play, while UTPB fell to 7-3 and 0-1 in the LSC.
 
LCU collected 11 hits in the run-rule shortened contest and received a complete-game effort from sophomore right-hander Natalee Gray (3-0), who allowed one run on five hits over six innings. Gray walked one and struck out five. Jessica Cantrell (3-1) took the loss for the Falcons after surrendering eight runs on 10 hits over five innings.
 
Pacheco, a freshman from Las Vegas, N.M., went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to pace the Lady Chaps offensively. Alexis Clark added a 2-for-3 performance with a double and two RBI, while Kenzie Kauk drove in two runs. Brianna Chambers-Lee and Coryn Burris each contributed RBI singles as LCU backed Gray with nine unanswered runs after falling behind early.
 
Cantrell provided the lone highlight for UTPB at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a solo home run.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UT Permian Basin struck first in the top of the third inning when Cantrell homered to deep center field for a 1-0 lead.
 
The Lady Chaps responded in the bottom of the fourth with a big five-run inning. Pacheco opened the frame with a solo shot to left to tie the game. After Kadin Vire was hit by a pitch and Chambers-Lee reached on an infield single, Ashlinn Hamilton delivered an RBI single to right-center to give LCU the lead. Later in the inning, Julie Muniz singled home a run, and Clark capped the rally with a two-run double to left, pushing the advantage to 5-1.
 
LCU added three more runs in the fifth. Vire and Chambers-Lee opened the inning with singles, and Burris drove in a run with a base hit to center. Kauk followed with a two-run single through the left side to extend the lead to 8-1.
 
After Gray worked around a sixth-inning single, the Lady Chaps ended the game in the bottom half. Clark reached on a throwing error and moved to third before Pacheco delivered an RBI infield single to score the game’s final run and secure the run-rule victory in the home opener.
 
GAME NOTES

» LCU wins their home opener for a second consecutive season and improves to 17-2 all-time in home openers.

 

» Natalee Gray, the reigning LSC Pitcher of the Week, pitched her second complete game of the season and fourth of her career.

 

» LCU exceled in situational hitting, going 4-for-9 (.444) in two-out at-bats (six two-out RBI), 6-for-12 (.500) in at-bats with runners in scoring position and 3-for-3 scoring a runner from third base with less than two-outs.

 

» Freshman Alexis Pacheco recorded her third career multi-hit game and her first three-hit performance of her career. She finished with two RBI for her second multi-RBI game of the season. Both games involved her hitting a home run and she matches Coryn Burris for the team lead in homers.

 

GAME 2

Lubbock Christian erupted for nine runs over the first two innings and never looked back, rolling to a 14-0 run-rule victory over UT Permian Basin in the second game. The Lady Chaps improved to 8-6 overall and 4-0 in conference play, while UTPB dropped to 7-4 and 0-2 in the LSC.

 

LCU pounded out 15 hits and capitalized on three Falcon errors in the five-inning contest. Freshman Lexi Clark (3-1) earned the win in the circle, tossing three shutout innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three. Ashlinn Hamilton worked the final two frames to complete the combined one-hitter. Laila Vasquez (1-3) took the loss for UTPB after allowing five runs (two earned) in the opening inning, and Priscilla Medina surrendered nine runs over the next three innings.

 

Kadin Vire led the offensive surge, going 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a stolen base. Julie Muniz added a 2-for-2 performance with two runs scored and an RBI, while Clark helped her own cause with two hits and an RBI. Kaylee Sheets, Cat Prisock and Brinley Currington each drove in runs as 11 different Lady Chaps recorded a hit. Carlee Quintero accounted for UTPB’s lone hit with a single in the second inning.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lady Chaps set the tone immediately in the bottom of the first. Alexis Pacheco walked to open the inning, stole second and then swiped home as part of a double steal sequence that also saw Vire move into scoring position. After a throwing error allowed Vire to reach third, Hamilton delivered an RBI single. LCU continued to pressure the Falcons on the basepaths, stealing four bases in the inning and scoring twice on defensive miscues. Kenzie Kauk drove in a run with a groundout, and Sheets capped the five-run frame with an RBI single for a 5-0 lead.

 

LCU added four more runs in the second. Vire singled and later scored when Coryn Burris reached on an error. Muniz followed with an RBI single up the middle, and Clark lifted a sacrifice fly to extend the advantage to 9-0.

 

After Clark worked around a pair of baserunners in the third, the Lady Chaps broke it open in the fourth. Piper Garcia and Skylar Brown delivered back-to-back infield singles to start the rally, and Prisock drove in a run with a base hit. Gabbi Diotalevi added an RBI on a fielder’s choice before Vire lined a two-run single to left. Currington capped the scoring with a pinch-hit RBI infield single, stretching the margin to 14-0.

 

Hamilton closed the door in the fifth, retiring the Falcons in order to secure the run-rule victory and complete the conference-opening sweep for Lubbock Christian.

 

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 seven games, no opposing team has produced more than six hits.

 

» The Lady Chaps produced their fourth shutout of the season and they have come over the last six games.

 

» LCU claimed a season high in runs (14) and hits (15). LCU received hits from 11 different players, as 19 different players participated in the game for LCU. The Lady Chaps were 3-for-4 in pinch-hit at-bats in the game.

 

» Vire completed a 4-for-6 afternoon with a 3-for-4 performance to notch her team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the season. She also extended her streak of reaching base safely to 11 games. Her performance included her third triple of the season. The three-hit game matched her season high and career high.

 

» The Lady Chaps improve to 2-0 in home games this season and they are 4-0 in LSC play for the second time in their history in the LSC (2020 marked LCU’s first season in the LSC) and the first since 2022.

 

» LCU swiped a season-high six stolen bases, with a pair of steals by Ava Castillo.

HISTORY LESSON

LCU increased their dominance in the all-time series, improving to 43-0 all-time against the Falcons. They are 27-0 against UTPB in Lubbock and have run-ruled the Falcons in 18 of the 43 all-time meetings (18 shutouts in the all-time series as well).

 

WHAT’S NEXT

LCU concludes their opening homestand Sunday with a 1p.m. doubleheader against No.9 Angelo State at Maner Park.

Â