Softball Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Championship Team With Doubleheader Sweep

SAN ANTONIO – The St. Mary's Softball Team celebrated the 2002 NCAA National Championship team in a grand way, sweeping a doubleheader against Texas A&M International on Friday night to kick off Lone Star Conference play with a 2-0 record.
 
The Rattlers (17-3, 2-0 Lone Star Conference) won game one by the score of 5-2 and shut out the Dust Devils (6-14, 0-2 Lone Star) in the nightcap, 7-0.
 
With his connections to the 2002 team, there may not have been a better team to play on the 20th reunion celebration than Scott Libby's Dust Devils. Libby was in the stands when the Rattlers clinched a spot in the College World Series and he coached several members of the team when he was at Taft High School in San Antonio, including All-American Roni Garcia.
 
The 2022 version of the Rattlers were led on Friday evening by seniors Bari Christian (San Antonio), Jayme Johns (Elgin, Texas) and Tiffany Licon (Austin, Texas) on offense and junior Catalina Cavazos (Houston) and freshmen Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio) and Savannah Youngblood (Kingwood, Texas) in the circle.
 
Christian, Johns and Licon all had three hits in the twinbill and Christian led the squad with four RBI. Both Christian and Johns were 3-for-5, while Licon was 3-for-6 and Johns drew three walks.
 
The freshmen tandem of Abrego and Youngblood pitched in game one. Abrego went 2.1 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout, while Youngblood threw the final 4.2 frames, allowing two hits and striking out four. 
 
Cavazos pitched a complete game shutout in the second game, allowing six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. She has now pitched 14 consecutive shutout innings.
 
The two teams meet again on the diamond on Saturday for a single non-conference game beginning at 1 p.m.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Johns won an eight-pitch at bat in the bottom of the first with a single to centerfield. She moved to second on a single to left by Abrego and scored on a single to shallow center off the bat of Christian for the 1-0 lead.
 
International took the lead with two runs in the top of the third on two hits and an error for the 2-1 score.
 
Freshman Cassidy Mageors (Freeport, Texas) led off the Rattlers half of the third with a double just past the outstretched arms of the second baseman. Aldridge drew a walk. Johns hit a ball to left field, which was misplayed, but because Mageors had to hold up at second, she was out at third. Aldridge hustled to third base on a flyout to center by Abrego and the Rattlers regained the lead on a triple to right center by Christian, 3-2.
 
Freshman Jamison Holder (Magnolia, Texas) walked to lead off the sixth and sophomore Reba Reyes (Brownsville, Texas) ran for her. Licon advanced her to second on a groundout. Mageors hit a slow roller to third for a single and the pair moved up on a sacrifice slap bunt by Aldridge. Johns hit a low line drive to right field for a single, two RBI and the 5-2 victory.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
In the first, Aldridge and Johns drew back-to-back four pitch walks with one out. Abrego reached on an error by the shortstop and Aldridge scored on a sacrifice fly by Christian.
 
The Rattlers added one in the second to double the lead. Senior Abigale Carney (El Paso, Texas) singled down the left field line to lead off, moved to second on a groundout by Licon and scored when the shortstop overthrew first on a hard-hit ball off the bat of Mageors.
 
Christian doubled over the left fielder's head to get things started in the sixth. Freshman Lauryn Ramos (Marion, Texas) hit a fantastic bunt down the third baseline for a single. With one out, Holder walked and Licon doubled down the right field line to score two. In an extremely close play at the plate, on a ball hit to third by Mageors, senior Rebekah Hubacek (Bryan, Texas) – who was running for Holder – was tagged out at home.  Aldridge walked and Johns singled to left. She advanced to second on the throw home and scampered to third when the throw went wide – which gave the Rattlers the 7-0 edge and the win.