Softball Starts Season With Pair of Wins

CONROE, Texas — The Taylor Lira era began with a bang for the St. Mary's University Softball team as they won both games on day one of the DII First Pitch Invitational at The Scrapyard. The Rattlers defeated Mississippi College 4-1 and then came from behind to defeat Southeastern Oklahoma State 3-2 in walkoff fashion.
 
The Rattlers face two more teams on Saturday, playing Simon Fraser at 11 a.m. and Chadron State at 1:30 p.m., and they close the tournament against Saint Martin's on Sunday at 10 a.m.
 
ST. MARY'S 4, MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 1
Sophomore Miah Corona (Eddy, Texas) singled up the middle on the first pitch of the second inning for the team's first hit of the season, and she ended the game going 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Senior Raegan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas) was 2-for-2 with a walk, sacrifice fly, an RBI, and the speedster swiped two bases. Senior Abigail Dela Rosa (La Grange, Texas) added two hits, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Senior Ariella Saenz (Pharr, Texas) had a strong first outing in the circle, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Senior Emily Ayala (San Antonio) closed out the game, throwing the final 1 1/3 innings, surrendering only one hit for her first save in 2026.
 
The Choctaws scored first, hitting a home run in the second inning, but the Rattlers plated one each in the fifth and sixth innings, and added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh for the 4-1 win.
 
It was the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the diamond.
 
ST. MARY'S 3, SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 2
Tennill provided the heroics in game two, driving in two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a single to right center for the 3-2 victory.
 
With one out in the inning, Saenz pinch hit and dropped a single into shallow left field. Junior Emery Aguilar (Georgetown, Texas) re-entered to pinch run and promptly moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Iliana Melendez (Seabrook, Texas). Junior transfer Bryley Westfahl (San Antonio) beat out an infield single to shortstop, putting runners on the corners, but Westfahl swiped her third bag of the game to put pressure on the Savage Storm. With a 2-2 count, Tennill drove the ball over a leaping second baseman into the gap in right center to plate both Aguilar and Westfahl and improve the Rattlers' record to 2-0.
 
Westfahl recorded two of the team's four hits in the nightcap and walked once.
 
Freshman Aly Garcia (Edinburg, Texas) started in the circle. She allowed one run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings. Ayala took over, pitching the next 1 2/3 frames. She surrendered one run on two hits and walked one. Aguilar came in from right field in the sixth inning and retired six of the seven batters she faced, striking out one for her first win in the Gold and Blue.