SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State softball team returns to the friendly confines of Mayer Field this weekend as they host St. Mary's in a three-game series, with the two teams squaring off twice on Saturday, with the first game scheduled to start at 3 p.m. before the series wraps up with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Rambelles are 21-14 on the season and 13-11 in conference play; they are coming off a series in which they dropped two out of three games this week against Texas A&M-Kingsville, avoiding a sweep with a 2-1 victory yesterday afternoon.
The Rambelles are hitting .291 as a team with 39 home runs and a .479 slugging percentage; they average five runs per game.
Ashlyn Lerma leads the team with a .411 batting average and is riding a five-game hitting streak. The senior continues her reign atop the stolen bases category with 40 swipes this season. She has 127 stolen bases in her career, the second-most in program history, and her 40 steals this season are the eighth-most.
Ashton McMillan is hitting .390 on the season, which ranks tenth in the conference and is on an eight-game hitting streak.
Bailey Martinez has a .364 batting average and a .419 average in conference play this season.
Paxton Scheurer hit her tenth home run of the season on Tuesday, which ties her with
Lindsey Evans for the team lead. Scheurer is hitting .339 and has driven in a team-high 36 runs this season.
Rambelle pitching has a 2.76 ERA, with opponents only hitting .231 against the Rambelles.
Cheyenne Floyd has a 1.99 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 59.2 innings this season, and she holds opponents to a .197 batting average.
Genesis Armendariz has a 12-6 record and has thrown ten complete games this season, with two being shutouts. The junior moved into fourth place in program history in career strikeouts with 341; she is also fifth in pitching appearances (97) and sixth in wins (53).
SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
St. Mary's is 20-13 on the season and 10-10 in conference play; as of publication, they are in the middle of a series against Cameron and have dropped their previous six games. In their last seven games, they have scored three runs or fewer in every game.
The Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team, led by Lauren Gonzales' .356 and Ericka Gomez's .322 averages, respectively. They have hit seven home runs this season and have walked (110) nearly as often as they strike out (111). They have also stolen 69 bases, having only been thrown out twice on the base paths this season.
The Rattler pitchers have a 2.33 ERA and hold opponents to hitting .251 at the plate. They are led by Catalina Cavazos, who is 9-5 on the season with a 1.72 ERA. Cavazos threw a no-hitter against No. 5 Central Oklahoma at the beginning of the season, only walking one batter and striking out four Bronchos in the Rattlers' 2-0 victory.
The Rambelles are 41-14 against the Rattlers, dating back to 2006, and have won the past 11 contests. Last season, the Rambelles swept the Rattlers with a 4-1 victory followed by a 3-2 walk-off victory.
