LSC Release

SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State softball team will travel to Odessa for a nonconference doubleheader against Texas Permian Basin on Wednesday at 2 p.m. led by the reigning Lone Star Conference Hitter of the Week Lauren Smith.  Smith hit .583 last week and helped lead the No. 5 Rambelles to a 3-2 week.
 
“Lauren was a big part of our success last week, as she was the catalyst to a lot of our big innings,” Angelo State head coach Travis Scott said. “She was selective and hit the ball hard when she got her pitch to hit.”  
 
Smith had a team-best 13 total bases and slugged 1.083 with a home run, triple and a double. Her solo blast in Game 1 against Incarnate Word came off LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Briana Sanchez and helped lift the Belles to a 7-1 victory. Smith marks the fifth different Angelo State player to be tabbed LSC Hitter of the Week this season.
 
“We've had consistent hitting up-and-down the lineup,” Scott said. “It doesn't matter if it's the top of the lineup or the bottom, the production is there.”
 
The Rambelles (29-7) own a .349 team batting average and have outslugged their opponents .554 to .361 on the season. ASU's high powered offense has generated 45 home runs and 64 doubles and features four players hitting above .390. Elsamartina Apo – who has drawn 25 walks compared to just four strikeouts – leads the team in batting average (.464) and on-base percentage (.583), while the power in the lineup comes from second baseman DeeshanaLynn Tafiti. The senior has a team-best 12 home runs and 53 runs batted in.
 
Claire Molina and Mary Kate McKay create a balanced and dynamic pitching staff for the Belles. Molina is 15-3 on the season, while McKay is 14-3. Each have started 17 games this season and recorded 10 complete games.
 
The Rambelles and Falcons met earlier this season where UTPB earned an 8-6 victory at the 2012 Best Western Spring Fling on Feb. 25. The win marked the Falcon's first victory against ASU, as the Belles lead the all-time series 12-1.
 
Texas Permian Basin is 13-23 on the season behind first-year head coach Annalyn Burch. The anchor of the UTPB pitching staff is Desiree Valero (10-13), who has 10 of the team's 13 wins. The sophomore has thrown 153.0 innings and boasts a 2.47 earned run average. Anna Hollingsworth is one of the Falcons top offensive threats, hitting .301 with a home run and 11 RBIs.
 
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