SILVER CITY, New Mexico – The No. 21 Angelo State softball swept its Lone Star Conference three game series with Western New Mexico winning 3-1 and 11-6 on Saturday in Silver City.
The Rambelles (16-1, 6-0 LSC) have won 12 straight games by combining to score 14 runs on 18 hits. The Mustangs (0-17, 0-6 LSC) were limited to 16 hits and seven runs.
"We didn't play our best softball today," Angelo State head softball coach Travis Scott. "Fortunately we did enough to win two games. The weather conditions were tough and Western New Mexico came out and played hard today. They played with a lot of grit and we were able to hold off their challenge which is a good sign. Brandy Marlett was solid and the defense played great in the first game. Morgan and Kenedy scrapped in game two. We accomplished what we needed and now we need to focus on the non-conference game with WNMU tomorrow. Hopefully we can come away with four wins."
The first game was a pitching duel between Brandy Marlett and WNMU's Domi Shone. Marlett held the Mustangs to just two hits over the first five innings while the Rambelles only recorded two hits over the first four innings.
ASU got on the board first in the fifth inning. Danae Bina hit a two-out single to left field and stole second base to get into scoring position. Brooke Mangold recorded a RBI single to put ASU up 1-0.
Two insurance runs came across the plate in the top of the sixth. Bailey Wallace was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth and Kenedy Urbany double to left field to bring Wallace home. With the bases loaded and two out, Bina was hit by a pitch to make it 3-0.
Western New Mexico answered in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run but Marlett sat the next three down in order. The junior also got out with two runners on in the seventh for her sixth victory of the season. She struck out 10 batters for the third time this season.
The Rambelles offense started quick in game two. Taegan Kirk singled up the middle for two RBI and a 2-0 advantage. WNMU answered with two runs of their own to tie the game.
The ASU runs continued in the second. Bina singled to start the inning and scored on a single by Madison Greenwell to go up 3-2.
The game opened up in the third as the Rambelles scored five runs on two hits and one error. Alexis Evans hit a RBI double and Bina's fly ball to right field turned into a sacrifice fly scoring Karina Rocha. Wallace put down a squeeze bunt to plate Mangold and Greenwell stole home as Urbany was caught in a rundown to make it 8-2.
Courtney Barnhill sent a solo home run over the left field fence to start the fourth followed by a RBI double from Bina. The junior finished the day by going 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored. WNMU scored two runs off starter Morgan Hill in the bottom of the inning to make it 10-4 after five innings.
Hill pitched five innings and gave up four runs, three earned, on seven hits. The junior struck out four and only walked two.
Katlyn Herzog scored in the sixth to increase the lead 11-4 but WNMU tried to make it interesting in the sixth by scoring two runs off Urbany. The senior got a double play to end the inning and scattered one hit in the seventh to secure the 11-6 victory for the Rambelles.
ASU will play a non-conference game against Western New Mexico tomorrow at 12 p.m. MST / 1 p.m. CST.
