Box Score
SAN ANTONIO —
Christina Rodriguez said hello to the 2013 softball season in a major way Friday.
The St. Mary's senior catcher blasted a pair of home runs in an 8-1 victory over Texas Woman's University, helping the Rattlers “set the bar” for what they hope is a memorable season.
It was certainly a memorable start, as Rodriguez (Sr., San Antonio) twice went yard on the opening day of the St. Mary's College Softball Classic at the SAISD Sports Complex.
“This was our first outing, so just to see us this strong, it sets the bar,” said Rodriguez, who finished the day 2 for 4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
St. Mary's (1-0) left no doubt from the start, jumping to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Rodriguez blasted a two-run home run — her first of a pair of two-run shots — to right field for a quick 3-0 lead, and
Hannah Fields (Fr., San Antonio) made it 4-0 when she walked in a run with the bases loaded. A
Nicole Sardelich (So., Angleton, Texas) single made it 5-0, and the Rattlers never looked back.
Emily Brittain (Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas) went the distance, picking up her first win of the season on the strength of four strikeouts.
As Rodriguez said, the performance set the bar for a Rattlers squad picked No. 1 in the Heartland Conference preseason standings.
“Each time we try to raise it and become more and more competitive,” Rodriguez said. “This start was important. We've worked so hard for this.”
Rodriguez credits the “intense” personalities of head coach
Donna Fields and new assistant
Haley Long.
“We've been doing cross-fit and fundamental workouts,” he said. “We've put in a lot of hours. It's just awesome to see it come together.”
And this was only the start.
St. Mary's will be back on the field Saturday, starting with a 12 p.m. game against Angelo State at the SAISD Sports Complex.
St. Mary's University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men's basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men's golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men's golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary's also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary's student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.rattlerathletics.com.
