DENTON, Texas – Despite a pair of weather delays, the St. Mary's Softball Team swept it's third Lone Star Conference doubleheader, winning 7-4 and 8-0 at Texas Woman's on Monday evening.
The teams were in the bottom of the seventh inning in the first game, when lightening began striking in the area and the teams went to the dugouts for safety. After about a 35-minute delay, the squads returned to the field and finished game one, but another cell of rain came through, pushing the start back approximately 20 minutes and throughout the nightcap, hitters could see lightening in the distance over the scoreboard in right centerfield.
The Rattlers (23-4, 7-1 Lone Star Conference) has now won five straight games and 13 of their last 14. They remain on the road, playing at Cameron on Friday and Oklahoma Christian on Sunday in a pair of doubleheaders.
GAME ONE RECAP
Freshman
Savannah Youngblood (Kingwood, Texas) threw her second complete game of the season to improve to 9-1 on the year. She allowed four runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts, as she stayed in despite the 35-minute delay for lightening and rain that occurred in the bottom of the seventh.
The 9-1-2 hitters in the Rattlers lineup accounted for six of the team's eight hits, as senior
Tiffany Licon (Austin, Texas) and freshman
Cassidy Mageors (Freeport, Texas) each went 2-for-4 and senior
Victoria Aldridge (Elgin, Texas) was 2-for-2 with two walks. The other two hits came from senior
Bari Christian (San Antonio) in the fifth spot.
Licon also scored three of the team's seven runs and stole one of the club's four bases in the contest. Sophomore
Reba Reyes (Brownsville, Texas) swiped two bags, while Mageors took the other.
With one out in the first, Aldridge, senior
Jayme Johns (Elgin) and sophomore
Ericka Gomez (Stafford, Texas) all drew consecutive walks and Christian singled past the short stop for the first run of the game.
In the second frame, Licon reached on a fielding error, stole second and scored on a single by Aldridge.
The Rattlers doubled the score with two in the fourth. Freshman Mine'e Padilla (San Antonio) walked to lead off and senior
Rebekah Hubacek (Bryan, Texas) pinch ran for her. Licon singled to put runners on the corners. Licon scampered to second on a wild pitch and Mageors singled to left center to score both and give the team the 4-0 lead.
The Pioneers broke onto the scoreboard with three runs in the fifth, but the Rattlers immediately answered in the top of the sixth. Licon singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Mageors singled to right to put Rattlers on the corners. Mageors stole second and Aldridge doubled to center to clear the bases. Aldridge advanced to third on a flyout by Johns and scored on a groundout by Gomez for the 7-3 tally.
A sacrifice fly for TWU in the bottom of the sixth brought the score to the 7-4 final.
GAME TWO RECAP
Junior
Catalina Cavazos (Houston) remained on fire, pitching her sixth complete game and third shutout of the season to improve to 11-0. She didn't walk a single batter and struck out four in the 8-0, six-inning contest.
Mageors continued to have a strong weekend, going 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot with three runs scored and a double, while Aldridge, Johns and Christian added two hits each as the Rattlers scored their eight runs on 12 hits.
The Rattlers again hopped out to an early advantage, scoring one run in the second and the third.
With one out in the second, Christian hit a Texas leaguer down the right field line that was misplayed by the second baseman, allowing Christian to get to second. With two outs, Reyes singled to right center for the first run. In the third with one out, Mageors singled between the shortstop and third baseman, moved to second on a fielding error by the second baseman off the bat of Aldridge and scored on a double to left by Johns.
With one out in the fifth, Mageors doubled to right center, Aldridge worked a walk and Johns laid down a fantastic bunt down the third-base line and no one covered first to load the bases. Gomez smashed a ball to right that held up in the gusting wind for a sacrifice fly and both Mageors and Aldridge advanced one base. Christian was jammed with the pitch, but managed a single to no man's land between short and third to plate Aldridge and give the Rattlers a 4-0 edge.
Padilla and Licon both legged out infield singles with one hit in the sixth, while Mageors singled to left center. A throwing error allowed Hubacek to score, who was running for Padilla and forced the Pioneers to go to their bullpen. Aldridge hit a bloop single to left to load the bases and Johns hit into a fielder's choice, but the short stop couldn't make the transfer, scoring Licon. Gomez also hit into a fielder's choice to second base that erased Johns off the base paths, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score on the play to double the lead to 8-0. The defense retired the side in order for the run-rule victory.
