Softball Drops Final Non-Conference Pair to No. 8 TAMUK

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KINGSVILLE, Texas – In the final non-conference games of the season, the St. Mary's Softball team dropped a doubleheader to No. 8 Texas A&M Kingsville 6-2 and 3-2 in eight innings on Thursday night.
 
In eerily similar fashion to the first series between the two schools, the Rattlers (32-13) scored two runs in the first game in a loss and then the second game went extra innings and in each the home team won in the bottom of the eighth.
 
St. Mary's returns to action on Friday, April 22 at 2 p.m. at No. 14 Lubbock Christian and then faces No. 11 Angelo State on Sunday at April 24 as the Rattlers wrap up a 10-game stretch of playing nationally-ranked teams.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Freshmen Jamison Holder (Magnolia, Texas) and Cassidy Mageors (Freeport, Texas) combined to go 5-for-7 at the plate, with Holder recording three hits as the team scorerd two runs on 10 hits with four walks. Sophomore Ericka Gomez (Stafford, Texas) was also 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.
 
Freshman Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio) dropped to 6-7 on the season. She pitched three innings, allowing five runs on six hits with a walk. Sophomore Sara Robertson (Lorena, Texas) had her second-straight strong relief outing, throwing the final three frames. She allowed one run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Senior Abigale Carney (El Paso, Texas) singled to center to lead off the second and fellow senior Amber Gonzales (Austin, Texas) sacrificed her to second. Gomez hit a pop up straight up in the air, that landed just outside the pitching circle and no one on the left side of the infield was able to get a glove on it. With two outs, Mageors hit a bloop single to shallow center to plate Carney for the 1-0 lead.
 
The Javelinas tied the score in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run, but the Rattlers immediately regained the lead in the top of the third. Holder singled down the left field line and senior Rebekah Hubacek (Bryan, Texas) pinch ran for her. Senior Bari Christian (San Antonio) singled to right and Carney walked to load the bases. Gomez followed with a single to right to score Hubacek, but Christian was thrown out at home.
 
Kingsville scored four runs on four hits in the bottom of the third to take a 5-2 advantage and tacked on one in the fifth for the 6-2 win.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Christian scored both runs in the nightcap, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, while Carney was 2-for-2 and Gonzales drove in both runs.
 
Junior Catalina Cavazos (Houston) moved to 17-2 on the year after allowing three runs on eight hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
 
Once again, the Rattlers jumped out to the early lead with a run in the second. Christian singled up the middle, moved to third on a single to left by Carney and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Gonzales. 
 
In the fourth, Christian led off with a double to left and hustled to third when the left fielder misplayed the ball. Carney walked and Gonzales hit a ball deep enough to center to score the speedy Christian and give StMU the 2-0 edge.
 
The Javelinas knotted the score in the bottom of the third with two runs on two hits and a sacrifice fly. The score remained 2-2 until the bottom of the eighth when TAMUK used a solo home run to win the series.