Softball Knocks Out Cameron; Drops Game Two to No. 7 CCU

CANYON, Texas – The St. Mary's softball team survived one elimination game with a commanding 5-0 win over Cameron before falling in the second knockout contest of the NCAA South Regional, 4-1 to #7 Colorado Christian.
 
The Rattlers end their season with a 32-27 mark and their 17th trip to the NCAA Regionals. Sophomore pitcher Madeline Bloom (Poway, Calif.) pitched 10.2 innings in the 14 played on Saturday, allowing only seven hits with one walk, needing only 96 pitches and 61 in her ninth complete game of the season.
 
St. Mary's says goodbye to seniors Catalina Cavazos (Houston), Lauren Garcia (San Antonio) and Isabella Saldivar (San Antonio). 
 
GAME ONE RECAP
The Rattlers scored one run in the first inning and never looked back, scoring five runs on six hits, while holding the Aggies to five hits.
 
Both junior Lauren Gonzales (San Antonio) and sophomore Jamison Holder (Magnolia, Texas) were 2-for-3 in the game, while Gonzales added two more stolen bases to her total to finish the year with 42– second on the St. Mary's single season list and only two shy of the record of 44 by Shannon Tigner from 1990.
 
Gonzales singled down the third-base line in the first inning, stole second and third base and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Reba Reyes (Brownsville, Texas) to right centerfield for the early 1-0 lead. 
 
Reyes made a fantastic play in center in the top of the fourth to save a run. She sprinted in on a single up the middle with a runner on second and threw a rocket home to beat the runner to the plate by several seconds and preserve the shutout.
 
Holder singled through the right side to lead off the fourth and freshman Raegan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas) came in to run. Freshman Emily Ayala (San Antonio) laid down a bunt for a single and junior Ericka Gomez (Stafford, Texas) followed with a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third. Sophomore Lauryn Ramos (Marion, Texas) squibbed a shot back to the pitcher, who attempted to flip home but the throw went wide, which allowed Ayala to score as well. Ramos was obstructed attempting to get to third and she scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kaylynne Ruiz (Eagle Pass, Texas) for the 4-0 advantage.
 
Reyes singled to right center with two outs in the fifth. Holder doubled off the fence down the left field line to plate Reyes and knock starting pitcher Jocelyn Bright out of the game.
 
Reyes made another spectacular play in the top of the sixth. On a ball dying in the outfield, she slid to make the catch and fired into junior Destiny Salinas (San Antonio) at second place to complete the double play and get the Rattlers out of a small jam and hold the Aggies off the scoreboard.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Both Ayala and junior Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig, Texas) posted two hits each in the nightcap against seventh-ranked CCU, combining for four of the team's six hits. Ayala also scored the lone run in the seventh. She doubled with one out and moved to third on a single back to the pitcher by Ramos. A Ruiz single up the middle scored Ayala but the rally ended before any more could cross.
 
Sophomore Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio) got her first work in the circle in a month, allowing four runs on eight hits with one strikeout to move to 5-7 on the season. Bloom worked the final 3.2 frames, scattering two hits with a walk and a strikeout.