A CLOSER LOOK
Angelo State Quick Hits
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Angelo State is 26-8 all-time in the LSC Softball Championship, but 0-1 against West Texas A&M
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Angelo State has outscored its opponents 388-168 on the season
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Elsamartina Apo (.457), April Breshears (.416) and Kacie Easley (.412) are all hitting above .400 on the year, while the team holds a .348 average
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ASU is 5-3 in neutral site games this season
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Claire Molina (23) and Mary Kate McKay (20) are first and second in the LSC in wins
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Lauren Smith currently has a seven-game hitting streak, while Morgan Spearman and Elsa Apo have a six-game streak
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Elsa Apo has reached safely in 16 straight games and Morgan Spearman has a 13-game streak
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Kacie Easley has 21 multiple hit games this season, while DeeshanaLynn Tafiti has 18 multiple-RBI games
West Texas A&M Quick Hits
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West Texas A&M is 4-2 playing on neutral sites this season
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WT is 8-4 in the LSC Softball Championship
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The Lady Buffs have outscored their opponents 382-242 this season
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WT is hitting .324 this season, led by Kim LeComte (.386)
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The fourth inning has proven lucky for WT, as the Lady Buffs have outscored their opponents 74-17 in the frame
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West Texas A&M won 2-of-3 against the Rambelles in Canyon on March 23-24
Scouting West Texas A&M
West Texas A&M (35-17) began the season ranked No. 5 in the nation in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Top-25 Poll. The Lady Buffs have remained ranked throughout the season and currently hold the 24th slot. WT is anchored by senior outfielder Kim LeComte who is the LSC's all-time home run, runs scored, runs batted in and hits leader. During her 2012 campaign, LeComte is hitting .386 with 11 homers and 46 RBIs. The Lady Buffs also have leadership in the circle behind the senior right arm of Marci Womack. On the season, Womack is 20-10 with a 3.33 earned run average in 162.0 innings pitched.
Once on base, the Lady Buffs use their speed to get into scoring position, as WT is 43-for-48 on stolen bases this season. LeComte leads the team with a dozen (12-for-13). Defensively, West Texas A&M has a .966 fielding percentage which ranks second in the LSC behind Incarnate Word (.969).
Series History
Angelo State is 29-18 all-time against West Texas A&M, but have dropped its last two series against the Lady Buffs. WT took 3-of-4 from the Rambelles in 2011 and won 2-of-3 this season (both series held in Canyon). ASU's
DeeshanaLynn Tafiti - who went 2-for-3 with six RBIs in the semifinal against Cameron yesterday - hit .500 with a double and four RBIs against the Lady Buffs March 23-24.
Morgan Spearman (.444) and
Elsamartina Apo (.429) also hit above .400 for the Rambelles. Although the Rambelles outhit the Lady Buffs 22-20, the Lady Buffs slugged .500 compared to ASU's .380 mark in the three-game set.
Renee Erwin and Lacey Seidl paced WT's offense as the two combined for 16 total bases, four RBIs, two home runs and two doubles. In the circle, Marci Womack kept Angelo State off balance, as the senior tossed two complete games against ASU. The hard-throwing righty went 2-0 against the Rambelles with a 1.50 earned run average.
And Boom Goes the Dynamite
DeeshanaLynn Tafiti returned to the Rambelles starting lineup on Friday against Cameron and let her presence be known. The senior smashed a pair of three-run home runs in the third inning against the Aggies en route to a 13-2 run-rule victory. The infielder finished the night 2-for-3 with two home runs and six RBIs. She now has a team-high 16 jacks and 66 runs batted in this season.
Good as Gold
The Angelo State defense has three Golden Glove Award winners on it including
Kacie Easley (c),
DeeshanaLynn Tafiti (2B) and
Chelsey Walters (ss) on it. The Rambelles have a .966 fielding percentage which ties for second in the LSC with the Lady Buffs.
Hawaiian Punch
Elsamartina Apo and
DeeshanaLynn Tafiti have combined for 108 runs batted in, 75 runs scored, 17 doubles and 23 home runs on the season. Apo - who hails from Ewa Beach, Hawaii - leads the team in batting average (.457), on-base percentage (.582) and walks (38). Tafiti, a native of Kalaheo, Hawaii, paces the team in home runs (16), RBIs (66) and slugging percentage (.774).
Uh, Winning
Rambelle starting pitchers
Claire Molina and
Mary Kate McKay know how to win. Molina (23-4) leads the league in victories at 23, while McKay (20-4) sits in second with 20. The lefties each have 31 appearances on the season and 14 complete games to their names.
Good Eye
For a team that is slugging .548 as a team, the Rambelles are patient at the plate. ASU has drawn 182 free passes compared to just 184 strikeouts. On February 26, the Belles took a season-high 11 walks against Central Missouri en route to an 18-2 victory.
Elsamartina Apo leads the team with 38, while
Morgan Spearman (24) and
DeeshanaLynn Tafiti (22) each have more than 20.
