Box Score
SAN ANTONIO — Clutch hitting when they needed it, stoicism in the pitcher's circle throughout and a defensive gem to end the game.
This was Rattler Softball at its best.
St. Mary's left nothing to chance in the Heartland Conference Tournament championship game Saturday, playing near picture-perfect softball to beat St. Edward's 4-2 for the conference title.
Shelly Lee Zawadzki (Sr., San Antonio) had an RBI triple in the bottom of the fifth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and subsequently put the Rattlers on top, 3-2, by scoring on a wild pitch.
Then, with St. Edward's (30-21) fighting to change the outcome late, shortstop
Sarah Perez (Sr., San Marcos, Texas) turned a game-winning double play as the Hilltoppers had the go-ahead run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Through it all, ace
Emily Brittain picked up her 26th victory on the season after scattering six hits and two runs in five innings, while
Maricela Bissaro came in to shut things down for the final two innings to pick up her second save of the year.
The Rattlers (43-13) will advance to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, where they will learn their seeding and opponent over the coming days following the NCAA selection show.
Against St. Edward's,
Nicole Sardelich (So., Angleton, Texas) was 3 for 4 with two runs scored in the game, while Zawadzki and
Christina Rodriguez (Sr., San Antonio) added two hits apiece, going 2 for 2 and 2 for 3, respectively. Rodriguez added an RBI, as did
Taylor Vidrine (So., San Antonio), whose fifth-inning solo home run gave the Rattlers some cushion with a 4-2 advantage.
“It's just an awesome way to end our tournament run going into regionals,” Zawadzki said. “It's really exciting.”
St. Mary's designated player
Jared Gonzalez (Sr., San Antonio) earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors with a tournament-high five RBIs, including a go-ahead, two-run blast in Friday's victory over St. Edward's that landed the Rattlers in the title game.
Joining Gonzalez on the All-Tournament Team from St. Mary's were Sardelich, Vidrine, Zawadzki, Brittain and
Haley Richter (So., Hondo, Texas).
St. Mary's swept through the tournament, winning all three games. They have won 12 Heartland Conference titles — regular season or postseason — in the last 13 years.
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.
