WICHITA FALLS, Texas — The 2025 Lone Star Conference season started with a doubleheader sweep over Midwestern State for the St. Mary's University Softball team as they combined for 31 hits in the two games to win 9-5 and 8-0.
The wins improve the Rattlers to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in league play. The team hit .463 in the twinbill, junior
Emily Ayala (San Antonio) leading the way with a 5-for-9 day and two home runs, one in each game.
Raegan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas),
Gabriela Banda (San Antonio) and
Abigail Dela Rosa (La Grange, Texas) each added four hits.
St. Mary's heads west to Canyon to face No. 11 West Texas A&M on Sunday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The Lady Buffs won game one against St. Edward's 8-1, and the teams were still playing game two.
GAME ONE RECAP
Despite leaving 15 runners on base, the Rattlers were able to plate nine runs in a 9-5 win in game one. StMU recorded a season-high 19 hits, with 18 being singles and a home run off the bat of Ayala. The 19 hits ties for the seventh-most in StMU single-game history, while the 15 runners left on ties for the third-most. The school record for hits is 23 at Oklahoma Panhandle State on March 29, 2008, while twice a team has stranded 16 on base.
Both Ayala and Dela Rosa went 4-for-5 at the plate with Dela Rosa driving in one run and scoring three times, while Ayala scored twice and drove in three.
Junior
Ariella Saenz (Pharr, Texas) picked up her first win of the season, pitching 4 2/3 innings, allowing only four hits and striking out three. Senior
Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio) started in the circle but didn't pitch the minimum innings required for a victory. She worked 2 1/3 frames, allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
The Rattlers went right to work as the first five hitters (
Lauren Gonzales [San Antonio], Dela Rosa, Tennill, Ayala and Banda) all reached via singles to take the 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Mustangs scored in their half of the first.
Freshman
Jaylan Roberson (Houston) singled to center to start the second and promptly stole second. Gonzales singled over the second baseman's head to put runners on the corners. The left side of the infield was creeping in, looking for Dela Rosa to bunt, and she punched a single to shallow left where the dirt-colored turf meets the grass to plate Roberson, forcing the Mustangs to go to the bullpen.
With one out in the second, Ayala singled to center. She faked going to second and MSU had an error trying to cut the throw down to second, allowing Dela Rosa to score and Ayala to complete her circuit to second base. Banda drew the first walk to the game and
Miah Corona (Eddy, Texas) squibbed a single on the right field line to plate Ayala and move Banda to third. Senior
Lauryn Ramos (Marion, Texas) walked to load the bases and
Mene'e Padilla (San Antonio) singled back up the middle for the seventh run of the day.
The Rattlers added three hits in the third but stranded a pair to keep the score at 7-1. Midwestern State plated four runs in the bottom half of the inning on six hits to close within two, 7-5.
St. Mary's left the bases loaded for the third time in four innings to keep the score at 7-5. The Rattlers' defense kept the Mustangs off the scoreboard in the fifth, allowing only a single.
Ayala blasted a shot over the left centerfield wall for the first non-single of the day and stretched the team's lead back to three, 8-5. Corona singled through the right side and Ramos reached on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Araceli Arevalo (Houston) pinch ran for Ramos. With two outs,
Arianna (AJ) Sanchez (San Antonio) walked to load the bases, but the trio was stranded. The defense retired the MSU side in order in the fifth.
Dela Rosa singled back up the middle and Tennill walked to begin the sixth. A wild pitch moves the runners to move up 60 feet. With one out, Banda hit a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield for the 9-5 lead. The Rattlers retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
GAME TWO RECAP
The bats continued to stay hot in game two, while senior
Madeline Bloom (Poway, Calif.) shut down the Mustangs, winning 8-0 in five innings.
Bloom allowed only five hits in the five frames, pitching her first shutout of 2025. She struck out two and walked one, needing only 70 pitches to get through the game.
In the bottom of the first, in her first start behind the dish, freshman
Izabella Valdez (San Antonio) threw out Camile Nunez attempting to steal second. It is the first time this season the Rattlers have gunned down a runner and set the defensive tone for the game.
With one out in the third, Tennill doubled down the third-base line and Ayala blasted her second home run of the day to almost the exact same place in left centerfield for the 2-0 lead.
Banda doubled to the flagpole in centerfield to begin things in the fifth. With one out,
Milliana Torrez (El Paso, Texas) singled down the left field line to plate Banda. Valdez singled down the right field line to put runners on the corners and Roberson pinch ran for her, stealing second base on the first pitch. Arevalo walked to load the bases, and in a pinch-hitting role, Abrego lined a single to left to score two. Gonzales re-entered and the 'Stangs went to the bullpen. Dela Rosa walked to load the bags and Tennill singled back up the middle to plate another two, scampering to second on the throw home. Banda reached on an error by the third baseman, while allowed Dela Rosa to score and stretched the lead to 8-0.
The Rattlers' defense retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth to complete the run-rule contest.
