Softball Goes From Extras to a No-Hitter in Saturday Senior Day Sweep

SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Softball team swept a doubleheader on Senior Day, winning game one 7-6 in 10 innings before dominating 9-1 in five innings in the nightcap against Midwestern State.
 
The Rattlers are now 26-18 on the season and 21-11 in Lone Star Conference play, while the Mustangs move to 12-32 overall and 10-25 in league action.
 
The Mustangs built a 4-0 lead through the middle of four innings in game one before the Rattlers tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, 4-4. Each team scored one in the seventh to force extra innings. In the top of the 10th MSU scored one, but the Rattlers plated two after drawing five consecutive walks for the team's 20th league victory of the year.
 
Junior Savannah Youngblood (Kingwood, Texas) improved to 9-2 on the season, working 7 2/3 innings in relief of starter Madeline Bloom (Poway, Calif.). Each pitcher surrendered two earned runs and combined to strike out six.
 
Though it was Senior Day, freshman Gabriela Banda (San Antonio) was the hitting star of game one, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Senior Ericka Gomez (Stafford, Texas) was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored and fellow senior Reba Reyes (Brownsville, Texas) scored three runs despite being 0-for-2 at the plate.
 
In game two, sophomore Breanna Ford (Corpus Christi, Texas) didn't allow a hit over the five innings, though she surrendered an unearned run with two walks, three strikeouts and two StMU errors. Ford's no-hitter is the second for the Rattlers this season and strangely enough, both saw the opponents score an unearned run as Bloom tossed one at Cameron on March 12.
 
The Rattlers plated their nine runs on only three hits and were aided by five Mustang miscues and benefited from nine walks issued.
 
Junior Jamison Holder (Magnolia, Texas) was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Reyes recorded the other hit.
 
All six seniors on the StMU roster got to play on Saturday and the half-dozen were honored between games. Those six seniors are Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig, Texas), who reached base in both games, extending her streak to 27 consecutive games; Reyes, Lauren Gonzales (San Antonio) who swiped her 30th bag of the year in game two; Destiny Salinas (San Antonio), who scored a run and drove in another in the nightcap; Gomez and Sara Robertson (Lorena, Texas) who played first base for the first time since the opening weekend.
 
The Rattlers and Mustangs conclude the three-game series on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.