OKLAHOMA CITY (March 5, 2019) – The first day of the brother-vs.-brother softball matchup between Oklahoma Christian and Lubbock Christian (Texas) ended up as a split.

OC, coached by Shanon Hays, beat the Chaparrals 2-1 in nine innings in the series opener at Tom Heath Field on Friday, but Lubbock Christian, coached by Daren Hays, used a three-run seventh inning to beat the Eagles 4-1.

OC (27-7, 11-4 Heartland Conference) maintained its lead in the league standings, while Lubbock Christian (25-10, 12-7) remained in third place. The decisive game of the series is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. Saturday.

Senior Hunter Strickland proved to be the Eagles' offensive catalyst in the opener. She started the game with an infield single and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

That proved to be the game's only run for a long while. Lubbock Christian pitcher Taylor Franco (10-6) allowed only five hits, while OC starter Madison Hagood gave up three hits in four shutout innings before giving way to freshman Kali Crandall (8-2), who allowed only two hits in five innings against an offense that entered the game averaging 8.1 runs, fourth-highest in NCAA Division II.

Both teams struggled to record timely hits, as OC left 12 runners on base and Lubbock Christian left 10 stranded. The Chaparrals' only breakthrough came in the sixth, when Savannah Wysocki's single scored Breanna Anderson, who had walked and stolen second base.

OC loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but Franco escaped that jam, sending the game to extra innings. In the ninth, Strickland led off with a double and went to third base on a wild pitch. After Brie Dunckel walked, Kaylie Upton's grounder back to the pitcher proved enough to bring home Strickland with the winning run.

In the second game, Upton started in the circle and issued four walks in the first inning without recording an out, with Wysocki scoring on a wild pitch to give Lubbock Christian the lead. Hagood (14-4) relieved and went the rest of the way, giving up five hits in seven innings.

Kayla Eichler hit a solo home run off Lubbock Christian pitcher Jordan Wehr (9-3) in the second inning but OC managed only four other hits.

The Chaparrals busted through in the seventh, scoring three runs on four hits, including a leadoff double by Anderson, a run-scoring single by K'leigh Arredondo and a key error by the Eagles.

The games Friday were a first for both coaches, who had never faced each other in a conference game. Their only prior meeting as coaches came on Feb. 8, 2017, in Lubbock, when Lubbock Christian beat Colorado Christian – then coached by Shanon Hays – 2-0.