Story by Chris Due, Lubbock Christian Sports Information

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 6 Lubbock Christian (Texas) swept its four-game Sooner Athletic Conference Series with No. 13 St. Gregory’s (Okla.), winning 10-1 (in five innings) and 12-10 Saturday afternoon (March 23) at PlainsCapital Park. LCU extended their win streak to 19 games and improves to 33-6 overall and 7-1 in SAC play, while SGU falls to 19-6 overall and 0-4 in conference play.

The Lady Chaps would use a big third and fourth inning and the arm of Katera Eltsosie to get the win in game one. Eight Lady Chaps went to the plate in the second inning, with LCU scoring four runs on five hits and left two runners on base. Stephanie Rendon, Diana De La Paz, Ashton Bell and Mallory Koschany would all single to score and Megan Sullivan hit a stand-up double down the left field line to help LCU take a 4-0 lead through two innings.

Latainia Eltsosie was the only batter not to bat in the second inning and she led off in the bottom of the third inning hitting a solo home run for her eighth home run and 33rd run-batted-in this season. Rendon kept things going hitting a double off the top of the left field fence in the ensuing at-bat. They would load the bases and get the merry-go-round going  eventually producing five runs off five hits in the inning and taking a 9-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, LCU’s Kirstie Cochran would score to give LCU a 10-0 lead and cap the game’s scoring. Katera Eltsosie improved her overall record to 15-3 and the loss was charged to St. Gregory’s Allison Conyers, dropping her to 4-2. Katera allowed just one hit. Koschany and Latainna Eltsosie led LCU with two RBI each.

The second game of the day started with a perfectly hit bunt from Koschany and would later score on a sacrifice fly to give the Lady Chaps a 1-0 lead. The leadoff batter in the third inning, Faith Koria, singled to right field before Koschany hit another perfect bunt to reach first base. Clemmons followed hitting a chopper to second base for a single to score Koria. Latainna Eltsosie hit a fly ball to left field and SGU dropped the ball for an error.

The prolonged inning resulted in De La Paz following with an RRBI-single and Ashton Bell brought two more runners with a triple down the right field line. The Lady Chaps took a 6-0 lead after putting five runs on the board in the third inning. SGU would score two runs in the fifth inning before the Lady Chaps put Tori Bayer in the circle for LCU with the bases loaded. Bayer walked her first batter faced and LCU quickly made another pitching change, going to Katera Eltsosie with the bases loaded with one out. Whitney Anderson stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam to give the Cavs their first lead of the game.

The Cavaliers scored eight runs on three hits and one Lady Chap error in the top of the fifth inning giving SGU an 8-6 advantage. Faith Koria stayed solid, hitting a short pop fly ball to center field in which the right fielder missed on the running grab attempt and Koria reached second base. Clemmons was able to load the bases on a bunt bringing Sullivan to the plate. Sullivan hit an infield single to third base to score Koria and keeping the bases loaded, as SGU was unable to get an out. SGU pitcher Devon Frazier hit Courtney McGee to score another LCU runner bringing the score to 8-8.

Latainna Eltsosie came up big with a bases loaded double to centerfield scoring Clemmons, Sullivan and McGee putting the Lady Chaps back on top 11-8. Rendon, the ninth batter of the inning, hit a double to left field scoring Eltsosie to keep things rolling.

The final damage was six runs on five hits, giving the Lady Chaps the 12-8 lead. SGU would try to make a move in the seventh inning, scoring a run off an error and a double to centerfield to draw the Cavaliers within two runs.

The Lady Chaps would end the game before they could get any closer and claimed a 12-10 win. Katera Eltsosie took the win in the circle improving her record to 16-3 and Devon Frazier fell to 10-2. Frazier went 0-2 in the series against LCU. Latainna led LCU with three RBI off a 2-for-4 hitting performance. Bell led LCU with three hits, with her 3-for-4 performance leading to two RBI.

The Lady Chaps will remain home to face No. 4 Rogers State University for a four-game Sooner Athletic Conference series starting on March 29.