OKLAHOMA CITY (March 1, 2020) – Oklahoma Christian's softball team believes it should be ranked and the Eagles continue to state a compelling case for that to happen.

On Sunday, OC swept No. 22-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) 5-3 and 2-1 at Tom Heath Field, giving the Eagles five straight wins in as many games against NCAA Division II ranked foes. The Eagles swept No. 8 Angelo State on Friday and a week before that, they downed then-No. 22 Rogers State.

OC (19-3, 4-0 Lone Star Conference) is one of only three teams in Division II's toughest conference to start the league campaign with four straight wins and the only one to do so while facing two ranked opponents. The Eagles, who have won eight straight overall, now will wait until Wednesday – when the next National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll will be released – to see if they'll crack the top 25 for the first time in the program's Division II history.

"It was a great weekend," OC coach Shanon Hays said. "To get five straight wins over ranked teams, surely we'll get in the top 25 ourselves, but you never know. That's big for us. These wins give us some confidence and show us that we can for sure play with the better teams in this league. We're a good enough team, if we pitch it well and play good defense, to compete with anybody."

Lubbock Christian (16-6, 1-3) – which entered the game ranked in Division II for the first time in program history – gave the Eagles all they could handle on Sunday, limiting OC's potent offense with strong pitching by Taylor Franco in the first game and Jordan Wehr and Maxine Valdez in the second game.

But OC's trio of hurlers – Kali Crandall, Lindsey Stoeckel and Karrah Dean – proved to be their match, surrendering only one earned run in 14 innings.

"Those are two huge wins for us, because Lubbock Christian has a really good ballclub," Hays said. "To hold them to one run the second game was impressive. Our pitchers combined were really good."

Stoeckel also contributed significantly with her bat. She doubled down the left-field line and scored in the second inning of the first game, but three OC errors led to two runs by the Chaparrals in the third inning, with Brooke Makemson driving in both with a single to put her team ahead.

Katelyn Dunckel's two-run single up the middle off Franco (9-3) scored Kelsey Gammage and Jaiden Johnson in the bottom of the third to put OC back ahead and Dunckel later scored on a single by Kaitlyn Dennis to make it 4-2.

Addi Lewis hit a solo home run off Crandall (9-0) in the fourth, but OC picked up an insurance run in the fifth, with Dunckel reaching second base on an error by Lubbock Christian right fielder Angela Donaldson, then stealing third base and scoring on a throwing error by Lewis, the catcher.

In the seventh, Crandall finished off her fifth complete game with her eighth strikeout, fanning Skylar Herrera.

Johnson hit her team-leading fifth home run, a two-out solo shot in the first inning, to give the Eagles the lead in the second game. Lewis doubled in the second inning and scored the tying run with two outs when umpires ruled that Dunckel's throw to try and retire Clarissa Martinez pulled first baseman Karrah Dean off the bag.

Brianna Robinson doubled to center field off Wehr (5-3) to lead off the fourth and Stoeckel followed with a single up the middle, scoring pinch-runner Hannah Pate with what proved to be the decisive run.

Stoeckel (7-1) allowed only three hits in 5 1/3 innings, with Dean coming on to retire one batter each in both the fifth and sixth innings. Crandall blanked the Chaparrals in the seventh for her first save, striking out Annika Schwartzenberg and retiring Tyla Lee on a ground ball with the potential tying run on second base.

Hays moved to 7-3 all-time against his brother, Lubbock Christian coach Daren Hays, as OC extended its winning streak against the Chaparrals to five games. Two of those came in last year's Heartland Conference tournament, which OC won.

OC will be on the road next week for LSC doubleheaders against Texas Woman's on Friday and current No. 16 Texas A&M-Commerce on Sunday. The Eagles' next home games will be March 13 against LSC foe Midwestern State (Texas).