SAN ANGELO – The newly ranked No. 8 Angelo State softball team swept No. 3 St. Mary's 5-1 and 10-0 in five innings in a midweek doubleheader at Mayer Field on Wednesday.
The Rambelles won their 16th and 17th straight games of the season and are 21-1 on the year. ASU added two home runs to their season total and recorded 11 hits on the day. St. Mary's falls to 17-5 on the year after being limited to one run on nine hits in 12 innings.
"To be able to go out and beat St. Mary's pitching staff is big," Angelo State head softball coach Travis Scott said. "Jordan Russell has been a great pitcher since she has walked on their campus. The grand slam was big and beating her was huge. I'm proud of the way we played. Kenedy and Brandy were outstanding again tonight."
The first game was a pitching duel between Kenedy Urbany and Jordan Russell.
St. Mary's almost scored to start the game. The bases were loaded with one out but Urbany got a grounder for an out and a fly ball to end the inning. The Lady Rattlers would not have another base runner until the fifth inning.
The Rambelles had opportunities to score through the first four innings. Taegan Kirk was caught in a rundown between third and home on a bunt play and a double play in the fourth ended another threat. ASU left five runners on base in the first four innings.
St. Mary's led off the fifth with a double but Urbany stranded the runner at third to keep the game scoreless.
Russell struggled in the fifth allowing the first three runners to reach for ASU . Morgan Hill drew a walk and Madison Greenwell singled up the middle. Bailey Wallace hit into a fielder's choice but Hill was able to slide into third safely. Urbany got the crowd on their feet by crushing a ball to the right center grand stands for a grand slam. It is the senior's second grand slam of her career and the sixth home run of the season.
A run from St Mary's in the sixth made it 5-1 in favor of ASU but the Rambelles answered in the bottom of the inning. Greenwell hit a sacrifice fly to left field scoring pinch runner Brooke Mangold.
Urbany got a liner for the second out of the seventh inning and Danae Bina whipped it over to first for a game ending double play. The senior improved to 8-0 on the season. She only allowed one run on seven hits and struck out one.
Brandy Marlett came out in the night cap and shutdown the Lady Rattlers once again. The junior only allowed two hits and one walk in five innings. She also struck out 10 batters for the fourth time this season.
The Rambelle offense took advantage of the pitching performance early. Greenwell and Wallace each scored on illegal pitches and Karina Rocha's RBI single made it 3-0 after one inning.
Urbany drove in Alexis Evans on a sacrifice fly and Courtney Barnhill's single through the left side scored Mangold for a 5-0 advantage after two innings.
The game was put away in the fourth inning. Mangold led off the inning with her first career home run. The junior hit a solo home run over the right field fence. ASU would score four more runs in the inning, all unearned, to increase the lead to 10-0.
Marlett closed the door with three strikeouts to end the game and improve to 9-1 on the year.
The Rambelles will hit the road for a three-game LSC series with Eastern New Mexico in Portales, New Mexico starting on Friday, March 10 followed by a doubleheader against Lubbock Christian on Monday, March 13.
