SAN ANTONIO — Needing two wins and some help from another team in the league to make the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the St. Mary's University Softball team did everything it needed to do, winning both games of a doubleheader against Texas A&M International in the regular season finale. However, the team they needed help from dropped both games of its doubleheader, knocking the Rattlers out of postseason contention.
The Rattlers won game one in thrilling fashion, 4-3, and exploded for a 10-2 win in six innings in the nightcap to end their season with a 26-29 overall record and a 21-23 mark in LSC play. The Dustdevils finish the season 24-31 overall and 17-25 in conference action.
Between games of the doubleheader, the Rattlers honored the six seniors on the roster in
Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio),
Madeline Bloom (Poway, Calif.),
Lauren Gonzales (San Antonio),
Mene'e Padilla (San Antonio),
Lauryn Ramos (Marion, Texas), and
Savannah Youngblood (Kingwood, Texas).
Game One Recap
Despite it being Senior Day, it was a freshman who once again came up with a big at-bat as freshman
Izabella Valdez (San Antonio) hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Rattlers a 4-3 edge.
Valdez, fellow freshman
Miah Corona (Eddy, Texas), junior Reagan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas), and junior
Emily Ayala (San Antonio) all went 2-for-3 at the plate, while sophomore
Gabriela Banda (San Antonio) added the other hit and RBI.
Ayala had a solid day in the circle, giving up three runs on only four hits with five walks and two strikeouts to end the year 8-6, and Abrego picked up her first save of the season, throwing a scoreless seventh.
The Dustdevils scored one in the top of the first and Ayala was able to work out of a jam in the second, stranding runners on second and third. The Rattlers tied the score in the third as Tennill doubled with one out, moved up on a groundout by Gonzales and scored on a single up the middle off the bat of Banda.
TAMIU regained the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth inning, setting up the late inning fireworks for the Rattlers for the second time this week. Ayala doubled to the gap in left center and moved to third when Corona singled. Valdez followed with her second homer of the weekend, after hitting the walk-off grand slam against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Thursday night.
Game Two Recap
The Rattlers scored 10 unanswered runs in the nightcap after spotting the Dustdevils two runs in the first two innings.
The two healthy senior pitchers, Abrego and Youngblood combined to allow only five hits, and each struck out two. Abrego started in the circle for the win and a 2-3 record, while Youngblood increased her school record in saves to 11, pitching the final 2/3 of an inning, as she entered with the score 5-2.
All nine spots in the Rattlers' starting batting order reached base at least once as the team scored 10 runs on 13 hits. Gonzales, Abrego, Corona, Ramos and junior
Abigail Dela Rosa (La Grange, Texas) each had two-hit days. Both Ayala and Ramos sent shots over the left field fence and Gonzales stole the 93rd base of her career.
Corona hit the walk-off, doubling to left center with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to score Banda and Gonzales for the eight-run mercy rule win.
