SAN ANGELO – The No. 5 Angelo State softball team treated the crowd at Mayer Stadium to some fireworks during and after the game in a pair of 8-0 five inning run-rule victories over St. Edward's on Thursday evening.
The Rambelles (19-1) won their 17th and 18th straight wins on the season. ASU was able to score 16 runs off 26 hits while limiting the Hilltoppers (0-15) to zero runs on seven hits. St. Edward's only had one extra base hit and was held to a .200 average during the doubleheader.
"I thought we did a lot of things really well," Angelo State head softball coach Travis Scott said. "You have to start in the circle with Morgan Hill and Brandy Marlett were both really sharp and Maykayla Corbin was able to get the last two outs in the fifth. We wanted more work for her and Meagan Hill but we went out and run-ruled St. Edward's in teh bottom of the inning. It's a good situation to have but we really wanted to get our pitchers some more time. I was proud of the way we pitched and played defense. The fireworks was a lot of fun after the game and thrilled we were able to get to do that for our fans."
The first game had SEU threatening in the top of the second inning. With a runner on third with two outs, ASU starter Morgan Hill got a strike out to end the inning and the scoring threat.
The Rambelles answered in the bottom of the second. Danae Bina singled to left field with two outs and would steal second to get into scoring position. Taylor Fogle singled over the head of the short stop to drive in Bina for a 1-0 advantage.
The Hilltoppers tried to answer in the top of the third. The only extra base hit by SEU led off the inning and a wild pitch moved the runner to third. A grounder was hit to Mykayla Stroud, who quickly sent it to first base for the out. The runner tried to score from third by Karina Rocha threw it quick enough to Teagan Kirk. The junior applied the tag for the double play.
The fifth was where ASU broke the game open. Bailey Wallace put down a sacrifice bunt trying to move runners. The SEU third baseman made a bad throw and it allowed Jade Strother and Greenwell to score. With two outs, Kirk hit a ball to third base that was bobbled. Wallace was then able to steal home after Kirk was caught in a rundown trying to steal second. She made it back to first safely to keep the inning alive.
Mykayla Stroud made SEU pay for the error hitting her third home run of her career to left center to make it 6-0. After a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Amanda Ramage ended the game with a single that scored the final two runs for the 8-0 run rule.
Hill earned her 10th victory of the season by holding SEU to just three hits and striking out three in 5.0 innings pitched.
Game two started with two quick runs for ASU. A leadoff double by Greenwell and Wallace drove her in with a single up the middle. Bina made it 2-0 with a single to left field.
Fogle added to Stroud's fireworks from the first game with a two run home run that bounced over the second fence at Mayer Field to make it 4-0 after three innings.
Brandy Marlett received the start in game two and went to work only allowed two hits through the first three innings.
Another run came in the fourth with a RBI double from Karina Rocha.
Makayla Corbin came in relief in the fifth with one out and got a pair of groundouts.
The final three runs were scored in the bottom of the fifth. A single through the right side by Greenwell scored Strother from second base. Kirk ended the game with a double to right center that scored two runs for the 8-0 run-rule victory.
Marlett picked up her eighth win of the year and struck out one but only gave up two hits.
The Rambelles will have the weekend off before hosting Central Oklahoma on Wednesday, March 7 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Mayer Field.
