KINGSVILLE, Texas – A late-inning run by Columbia College cost the St. Mary's Softball team a sweep on Monday morning as the Rattlers fell, 3-2 to Columbia before run-ruling Tabor for a second straight day. St. Mary's defeated the Bluejays 8-0 to close out two days of games at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Game 1 recap
Neither team got things going offensively in the early goings of the early morning contest. Just one runner from either team reached third over the first three innings. Columbia threatened in the bottom of the second as they got two runners aboard but St. Mary's hurler,
Julia Cruz escaped the jam leaving two runners stranded.
With two outs and a runner on in the fourth, one swing of the bat from Columbia's Avgustina Arbova opened up a 2-0 advantage for the Cougars.
The Rattlers were able to even things at two in top of the fifth.
Alex Moreno led off the inning with a double and gave way to pinch runner
Cassidy Brawley.
Amber Gonzales reached on a fielder's choice and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from
Katerina McLennan.
Jayme Johns singled through the right side to score Gonzales. Johns advanced to second on the throw and later moved to third on a wild pitch. Freshman
Reba Reyes delivered a single up the middle to score Johns, evening the score a two.
A leadoff single for Columbia in the bottom of the sixth eventually came around to score, giving the Cougars a 3-2 lead heading into the Rattlers last at-bat.
Moreno ripped her second double of the game to leadoff the seventh inning and moved to third on a Gonzales sacrifice bunt. Down to their final two outs and the game-tying run just 60 feet away, a pop out and a groundout ended the Rattlers chances, resulting in a 3-2 defeat.
Johns and Moreno each had two of the Rattlers six hits. Cruz pitched well but took the loss, moving to 1-2 on the season.
Game 2 recap
The Rattlers scored early and often for the second straight time against Tabor College. St. Mary's scored at least a run in the first four innings of the game en route to an 8-0 run-rule victory.
Reyes got the Rattlers on the board as she double home Johns who reached on a leadoff walk.
With one out in the second, Gonzales and Amber Flores reach on back-to-back singles. Flores came around to score on a single from Johns to extend the St. Mary lead to 2-0.
Bari Christian opened up the third inning with a triple to right center.
Abigale Carney walked to put runners on the corners. Carney stole second and later moved to third on a single from
Rebekah Hubacek that also scored Christian. A sacrifice fly from Gonzales and a double from Flores scored Carney and Hubacek, giving St. Mary's a 5-0 advantage.
St. Mary's brought eight batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored three runs on just one hit. Flores drew a bases loaded hit-by-pitch for the Rattlers eighth run of the game.
Alex McLennan went the distance in the circle for St. Mary's, allowing just two hits over five innings of work.
The Rattlers will travel to Houston on Wednesday to take on the University of Houston-Victoria in an exhibition doubleheader.
