SAN ANGELO – The No. 4 Angelo State softball team won the first game of the doubleheader 8-0 in six innings but lost its series with No. 20 Tarleton State after falling 2-1 in the LSC series finale on Saturday at Mayer Field.
The Rambelles (30-6, 14-4 LSC) recorded 17 hits in the doubleheader and nine runs. The TexAnns were held to eight hits on the day and scored just two runs.
"It was a great series against with three quality games," Angelo State head softball coach Travis Scott said. "Give Tarleton credit they came into a place that is hard to win and got two. We were there though. We had our chances but couldn't quite get the base hit that we needed. That was the difference. I was happy with the way we bounced back in game two especially with our energy. Lots of positives but we battled and I was proud of that."
The Rambelles got on the board early in the second game of the series. Taegan Kirk hit a RBI single up the middle to plate Bailey Wallace from second base.
Jade Strother scored in the second to make it 2-0. The sophomore stood on third after drawing a walk, stealing a base and being moved over on a grounder. Madison Greenwell hit a ball to centerfield for a RBI.
It would be the only runs that Brandy Marlett would need. The senior sat down Tarleton State in order through the first three innings of play. Marlett would only allow one hit in five innings of work while striking out eight.
Strother again got in the mix in the bottom of the fourth. She singled to center and stole second and an infield single by Danae Bina moved her to third. Mykayla Stroud got the ball in the air for a RBI sacrifice fly to score Strother to make it 4-0.
Courtney Barnhill made it 5-0 with a solo home run in the top of the fifth. It is her fifth home run of the season and second of the series.
Morgan Hill came in relief in the sixth and held the TexAnns scoreless.
ASU put the game away in the sixth. Stroud singled and stole second followed by a RBI double from Greenwell. Wallace would bring home Greenwell with a single to left field and Kirk put two runners on with a single to center. Barnhill ended it with a double to right center for the run-rule victory.
Marlett picked up her 15th win of the season.
Game two was a pitching duel between Jordan Withrow and Marlett.
Tarleton State looked to grab an early 1-0 lead with a runner on third and just one out. A fly ball was hit to centerfield and the runner left early. Brooke Mangold threw in and Wallace was able to get the ball to third to double up the runner for the final out of the inning.
The Rambelles wouldn't get a hit until the fourth but it was a big one. Barnhill crushed a pitch over the center field fence to give ASU a 1-0 lead after the fourth inning. She had a homerun in every game of the series.Â
Marlett gave up two hits through the first two innings but sat down TSU in order until the sixth. Three hits and an error gave the TexAnns a 2-1 lead.
ASU had a runner in the sixth and a runner in the seventh but was unable to score the tying run.
Withrow limited ASU to three hits while Marlett held TSU to five hits in the game. It is just Marlett's second loss of the season.
The Rambelles will return to the field on Friday, April 6 in Wichita Falls for a three-game LSC series with Midwestern State.
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