EDMOND, Oklahoma – St. Mary's Softball earned another split on day two of the Edmond Regional Festival. The Rattlers move to 7-12 on the season and will close out the Festival tomorrow as they take on co-host University of Central Oklahoma.
Game One
The first three innings neither team managed to manufacture any runs. In the top of the fourth, St. Mary's broke the scoreless tie as
Taylor Germain and
Abigale Carney started the inning with a single and a double, respectively.
Bari Christian reached on a throwing error by the UNK shortstop, allowing Germain to score to put the Rattlers in front. Carney eventually scored on an
Amber Gonzales groundout to make it 2-0.
St. Mary's starting pitcher
Staci Johns got a much needed three-up-three-down inning in the bottom of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fifth an offensive explosion for St. Mary's busted the game wide open. The Rattlers scored 11 runs in the inning on 10 hits. Gonzales and
Alex Moreno both blasted two-run home runs. Germain and Carney each picked up two RBI in the inning with doubles down the left field line. St. Mary's sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning.
Jayme Johns had a hit in the inning to extend her hitting streak to 14 games.
S. Johns slammed the door in the bottom of the fifth to earn her fourth victory of the season. Johns finished with five strikeouts, allowing just two hits.
Nine Rattlers finished with at least a hit in the win. Carney went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
The 13 runs scored and 13 hits are both season-highs for the Rattlers.
Game Two
St. Mary's wasted no time getting on the board in the nightcap as
Jayme Johns reached on a hit by pitch to get things going. Johns advanced on a
Victoria Aldridge single. Both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt from Germain. Carney picked up her third RBI of the day and seventh of the weekend to put St. Mary's in front, 1-0.
Back-to-back RBI singles for Fort Hays State in the third inning gave the Tigers a 2-1 edge.
Moreno drew a two-out walk in the fourth frame and
Tiffany Licon followed that up with a single to put two on with two outs for the Rattlers but the Fort Hays defense stood tall and forced
Jayme Johns into a groundout to end the St. Mary's threat.
Gonzales led off the sixth inning with a double down the left field line and would be lifted for pinch runner
Katerina McLennan.
Juliana Cerda moved McLennan to second with a sacrifice bunt. Licon drove McLennan in via a single to right field to even the game at two.
Jayme Johns extended the inning with a single, extending her hitting streak to 15 games but the Rattlers would leave the go-ahead run stranded in scoring position.
In the top of the seventh frame the Tigers were able to push a run across to take a 3-2 lead but St. Mary's reliever
Julia Cruz was able to limit the damage and she induced a 5-3 double play to end the inning.
Bari Christian drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh, putting the tying run aboard for the Rattlers and forcing Fort Hays to make a pitching change. Gonzales picked up her second hit of the game, a single through the right side to keep the inning alive for the Rattlers.
Alyssa Flores came on to pinch hit with two on and two out but Flores went down looking to end the game.
Aldridge, Gonzales, and Licon each finished with two hits in the loss.
Up Next
The Rattlers will close out the Edmond Regional Invitational on Sunday as they battle Central Oklahoma. The game was originally scheduled for 12:00 p.m. but has been moved up to 11:00 a.m. to avoid possible rain in the Edmond area.
