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Scoreboard

Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone
Antonio Morano Photography
Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone improved to 28-5 in the victory.
0
Tarleton State TSUSB 33-21
4
Winner St. Mary's STMU 47-10
Tarleton State TSUSB
33-21
0
Final
4
St. Mary's STMU
47-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Tarleton State TSUSB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 2
St. Mary's STMU 0 0 0 0 0 4 X 4 4 0

W: Gutierrez Touchtone, Vianna (28-5) L: Haley Freyman (23-13)

Game Recap: Softball | | RattlerAthletics.com

Softball on brink of regional title after shutting out TSU

By Chad Peters | St. Mary's Athletics Communications

SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's Rattlers have been here before, a single game from advancing to the NCAA Division II Women's College World Series.
 
But if record-setting third baseman Nicole Sardelich has anything to say about it, that's where the similarities will end between this season and last.
 
"Don't be like last year," Sardelich said of her mindset following Friday's 4-0 victory over Tarleton State in the opener of the South Central Super Regional at the Softball Stadium inside The Park at St. Mary's.
 
Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone pitched a complete-game shutout, fanning five in the process, while the Rattlers (47-10) struck for four sixth-inning runs to break open what had been a scoreless pitcher's duel.
 
Sardelich, Laura Benavidez and Hannah Fields all had RBIs in the inning, as No. 2 seed St. Mary's moves into Saturday needing just a single victory to advance to the World Series in Oklahoma City. First pitch against No. 8 seed Tarleton State (33-21) is scheduled for 12 p.m., with a Game 2 — if necessary — being scheduled for 2:30 p.m.  
 
Knowing what happened last year, when St. Mary's Softball reeled off a Game 1 victory against West Texas A&M only to get swept by the eventual national champions the next day, Sardelich says she knows the Rattlers can't get comfortable. 
 
"You go in thinking, 'Man, just one more win," said Sardelich, who went 1 for 3 with an RBI. "I don't want to have that taste in my mouth like last year. We're going to come out punching."
 
It's a mindset that head coach Donna Fields has addressed with the team in recent weeks.
 
"We don't have our backs against the wall this game, but we've got to act like we do," she said. "We've got to come out with the intensity and the fire to act like there is no tomorrow."
 
In Friday's sixth inning, the Rattlers displayed that very urgency.
 
Haley Richter led off the inning with a single to the right side, forcing Tarleton State to make a pitching change. Pinch runner LeeAnn Campos then stole second base, and Gutierrez Touchtone walked to put runners on first and second with no one out.
 
Alex Rodriguez then loaded the bases when she reached on a throwing error to first base on a sacrifice bunt, setting the table for Benavidez, the designated player, to break open the game.
 
Benavidez reached on a fielder's choice when the second baseman didn't have a play to be made anywhere, scoring Campos for the go-ahead run.
 
Moments later, Fields singled to second base, driving in Rodriguez for a 2-0 lead.
 
Sardelich then produced an RBI groundout to shortstop that brought home Daniele Nash, while Amanda Villa scored the fourth run on a wild pitch.
 
Tarleton State outhit St. Mary's 6-4 but stranded four base runners in the loss. The Rattlers stranded seven.
 
Saturday's championship round will be broadcast live on the Rattler Network.  

 
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