Game 1  ::  Game 2

ABILENE, Texas – In Game 2 of the doubleheader on Tuesday, Angelo State's Lauren Smith left the yard twice en route to a 7-2 victory over Abilene Christian. The win secures a Lone Star Conference split after dropping Game 1 to the Wildcats, 8-4.
 
Kacie Easley began the slugfest at Poly Wells Field with a two-run home run in the first inning of Game 2 to give Angelo State (35-8, 16-4 LSC) an early 2-0 lead. Two innings later, Smith hit a solo shot to center field which stretched the Belles' lead to 3-0.
 
Abilene Christian (26-11, 12-7 LSC) manufactured runs in the fourth and fifth inning, but Angelo State's four-run seventh put the game out of reach. With runners on first and second, Smith belted her second home run of the game – and ninth of the season – to right center field to give ASU a 6-2 lead. The junior from Waxahachie finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
 
“Lauren came up huge for us tonight,” Angelo State head coach Travis Scott said. “Her home run in the seventh was a big hit, and it gave us some insurance heading into the bottom half.”
 
Although comforting, the insurance run would prove unnecessary for Belles' starting pitcher Claire Molina as the senior worked a scoreless seventh inning to record her 13th complete game of the season. The hard-throwing lefty finished the game with eight strikeouts and worked around four hits in the win. She now has a conference best 18 W's this season.
 
ACU's Caitlyn Crain took the loss, and is now 12-4 on the year.
 
“Claire threw the ball great for us,” Scott said. “She had great stuff tonight, and that's just what we needed after struggling in Game 1.”
 
Abilene Christian took control of Game 1 from the opening inning. The Wildcats had their first six batters reach base and grabbed a 5-0 lead after one.  ACU would stretch its lead to 8-0 by the end of the fourth inning.
 
The Rambelles would not go away quietly, as ASU scored three in the fifth to make it an 8-3 affair. DeeshanaLynn Tafiti highlighted the inning with her 13th home run of the season. The senior's three-run shot gives her 60 runs batted in this season.
 
ASU loaded the bases in the fifth, but could only manage one run and fell to the Wildcats, 8-4. Peyton Mosley (10-5) picked up the win, while Mary Kate McKay (17-4) suffered just her fourth loss all season.  
 
The Rambelles five-game road trip will conclude with a three-game series against LSC foe Tarleton State in Stephenville this weekend. The two teams meet on Friday for a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. before a single game on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. Be sure to listen to the game live on AngeloSports.com or on 1260 KKSA and follow live Twitter updates @AngeloSports.com.