SAN ANGELO – The No. 5 Angelo State softball team swept a LSC doubleheader from Western New Mexico 8-0 in both games highlighted by Brandy Marlett's fourth no-hitter of her career on Saturday afternoon.
The Rambelles have now won 14 straight games to improve to 15-1 and 5-0 in the LSC. ASU only allowed one hit to WNMU (1-14, 0-5 LSC) in 11 innings of play. Angelo State scored a combined 16 runs on 18 hits.
"I thought we played really well today," Angelo State head softball coach Travis Scott said. "To only give up one hit on the day and go out and put up 16 runs is big. We did things right. Brooke Mangold had a great catch to preserve the no-hitter for Brandy (Marlett) and Karina Rocha had another huge day. Bailey Wallace really hit the ball hard today. It was a great start to the weekend."
Marlett shined in the first game with her fourth career no-hitter. The senior had a perfect game through three and struck out 10 for her fifth victory. She only faced two batters over the minimum and got three batters to fly out and five to ground out.
The run support came early for Marlett and the Rambelles. Tagean Kirk blasted a three-run home run to left field after Madison Greenwell and Bailey Wallace started the game with back-to-back singles. Brooke Mangold added two more runs with a two-RBI triple to right center to make it 5-0 after one.
Karina Rocha continued to launch balls. The sophomore hit her eighth and ninth home runs of the season in the first game. She hit a two-run ball to left center in the second to increase the lead to 7-0 and ended the game with a walk-off solo home run in the sixth.
The second game started the way it ended with a Rocha home run. The Buda native crushed a ball to right center for a solo home run in the first inning. It is the 10th home run of the year for Rocha.
Morgan Hill tried to duplicate Marlett's no-hitter holding WNMU without a hit for the first three innings.
The Rambelles added to the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Wallace reached on a fielder's choice that scored Jade Strother. Moments later Mykayla Stroud hit a single to left center that scored two to make it 4-0.
WNMU recorded its only hit of the day in the fourth inning but Hill quickly got out of the inning with a strikeout and pop-up.
Greenwell singled through the left side to bring in two runs in the fourth.
Wallace started the fifth with a solo home run to left field to start the fifth. It is her second home run of the year. The game ended via the run-rule after Danae Bina recorded a RBI after getting hit by a pitch for the seventh time this year.
The Rambelles return to action at 12 p.m. for the final game of its LSC series and will play a non-conference regional game against WNMU at 2 p.m. at Mayer Field.
