SAN ANGELO – For the second-straight home doubleheader, the Angelo State softball team earned a split against a top-ten nationally-ranked opponent, walking off top-ranked UT Tyler in extra innings of game one 3-2 before the Patriots took game two 7-2.
The game one win is the Rambelles' first win over the nation's top-ranked team since March 14
th, 2015, when the Rambelles beat #1 West Texas A&M 1-0.
Genesis Armendariz got the Rambelles off to a hot start inside the circle, recording six of her first nine outs through strikeouts, including the first four in a row and five of the first six.
Armendariz's work in the circle helped the Rambelles claim an early lead, with singles by
Ashton Dirner and
Ashlyn Lerma in the third inning preceding a
Paxton Scheurer sacrifice fly to center field to give the Rambelles the 1-0 lead.
The Patriots responded with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning to even the score.
The score stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when Scheurer hit her 17
th home run, a solo shot to give the Rambelles a 2-1 lead entering the final frame.
All with two outs in the top of the seventh, the Patriots put together three singles to even the score and force extra innings.
Walks by Lerma and Scheurer set up
Ashlynn Box, who, with a 2-2 count, singled over the Patriot pitcher's head and into center field to score the winning run.
Armendariz picked up her 13
th win, throwing eighth innings, tied for her career-high, which was done on April 18
th of last year against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The sophomore only allowed six hits to the nation's top-hitting team and two runs while striking out seven.
Both teams struggled offensively in game two, with the Patriots not tallying a hit until the fourth inning and the Rambelles recording a single hit – a home run by
Madison Fernandez in the second inning – until the seventh inning.
The Patriots would score on a solo home run in the fourth to tie the game before scoring four runs in the fifth and pushing across a pair of runs in the sixth.
The Rambelles pieced together a rally in the seventh inning, loading the bases and scoring a run on a bases-loaded walk, but the bases were stranded full to end the game.
In addition to Fernandez's hit, Dirner and
Maleya Burns's singles in the seventh inning were the Rambelles' only hits, with Dirner the only Rambelle to record a hit in both games.
Torrey Hogan received her third loss of the season, striking out six but allowing six runs in five-plus innings. In relief,
Sierra Schottler threw the final two innings, only allowing two hits.
The Rambelles are now 24-6 overall on the season and 9-5 in conference play. On Sunday, they are back in action against #21 Texas A&M-Commerce, coming off a pair of wins over #10 Lubbock Christian.
