SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University and University of Texas-Dallas Softball teams split a pair of pitchers' duels on Friday, with the Rattlers winning game one, 2-1 in walk-off fashion, and the Comets holding on for the 2-0 win in game two.
Senior
Raegan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas) provided the fireworks in game one, hitting a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth for the win. It is the third walk-off of the season for the Rattlers, and Tennill has been at the plate for all three.
The Rattlers are now 22-17 on the season and 14-12 in LSC action, while the Comets are 10-20 on the year and 8-16 in league play.
St. Mary's takes to the road next week, playing at Texas A&M International on Friday, April 10, at 12:15 p.m. and at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a pair of doubleheaders.
Game One (StMU 2, UTD 1 – 8 Innings)
Senior pitcher
Ariella Saenz (Pharr, Texas), the reigning Lone Star Pitcher of the Week, shone again in the circle, pitching her seventh complete game of the season to improve to 10-5. She allowed only one run on five hits, walking two and striking out three in 99 pitches.
UT Dallas scored the first run of the game on a squeeze play in the top of the seventh, but the Rattlers said, not on our home field.
With one out in the bottom of the inning, freshman
Peyton Miers (San Antonio) reached on a fielding error and moved to second on a groundout by
Samiya Johnson (Corpus Christi). Senior
Emily Ayala (San Antonio) pinch hit and hit a double to the gap in right center to score Miers and knot the score at 1-1.
Saenz worked out of a little trouble in the top of the eighth, stranding a runner on first to get the offense right back to work. Tennill blasted the 3-1 count into the bullpen in left field for the 2-1 walk-off victory. Tennill was 2-for-3 in the game, collecting two of the team's six hits.
Game Two (UTD 2, StMU 0)
The Rattlers could never sustain a rally in the second game, getting four hits but stranding six runners on base.
The Comets scored one run in the fourth and one in the sixth, as they also stranded eight on the base paths.
Ayala started in the circle, falling to 2-6 on the year, as she allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts. She also walked three and hit two. Junior
Emery Aguilar (Georgetown, Texas) pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, giving up an unearned run with a walk, but UTD did not get a hit off of her, and she fanned two.
Both teams managed only four hits in the game, and the Rattlers committed one error and a passed ball.
