Valdez throws no-hitter as Lady Chaps sweep St. Mary's
Maxine Valdez threw a no-hitter in a run-rule-shortened game as No. 11 Lubbock Christian University beat St. Mary's 11-1 in five innings Friday, sweeping a Lone Star Conference softball doubleheader at Maner Park.
Valdez (9-2) struck out nine and walked one. Kaylynne Ruiz drew the walk in the third inning, and a sacrifice fly by Erica Gomez gave the Rattlers a 1-0 lead.
LCU moved ahead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Berkeley Quinn and a Hope Banales sacrifice fly. The Lady Chaps blew it open with a nine-run fourth that included two-run singles by Sydnee Bowlin and Kasey Flores, RBI singles by Banales and Skylar Herrera and a three-run homer from Kamryn Gibbs.
LCU (23-8, 13-7) leapfrogged St. Mary's (20-10, 10-7) into fourth place in the 15-team Lone Star Conference. The two teams are scheduled to complete the three-game series with a game at noon Saturday.
In Friday's first game, Tiarra Delrosario hit a leadoff single in the 10th inning and scored the winning run on a base hit by Herrera as LCU edged St. Mary's 4-3.
A one-out walk by Flores moved Delrosario into scoring position. Herrera then came through with her RBI single to right-center, ending the 2-hour, 50-minute game.
LCU pitcher Taylor Franco (9-6) worked a complete game, throwing 184 pitches and striking out nine. St. Mary's pitcher Catalina Cavazos also went the distance, throwing 183 pitches and striking out six.
Delrosario finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Herrera finished 2 for 5, and Flores drove in two runs with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning and game-tying home run in the sixth that made it 3-3.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Valdez throws no-hitter as Lady Chaps sweep St. Mary's
