Canyon, Texas – The Angelo State softball team ended the regular season with a doubleheader split against the nation's top team on Saturday, with West Texas A&M taking game one 6-3 before the Rambelles closed the series out with a 10-7 win at Schaeffer Park.
The hosts got on the scoreboard first in game one, scoring twice in the second inning before scoring three runs in the fourth inning.
A two-out double for
Laylonna Applin kept the fifth inning alive for the Rambelles, and the next batter,
Tatiana Trotter, would homer for the seventh time this season to get the Rambelles on the scoreboard.
The Lady Buffs scored another run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-2.
In the top of the seventh inning,
Lauren De La Cruz hit her first home run for the Blue and Gold to left-center to make it 6-3.
Cheyenne Floyd got the start in the circle, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing four earned runs while striking out four Lady Buffs.
Matie Wolkow and
Torrey Hogan would combine to throw the final 2.1 innings in relief.
De La Cruz hit a solo home run to lead off the second inning in game two to start the scoring. The Lady Buffs responded with a two-run home run to give them a 2-1 lead.
The Rambelles would storm out to a lead in the third inning, scoring five runs in the frame.
Back-to-back-to-back infield singles by
Abby Brand,
Averie Gunther, and Applin loaded the bases, and Trotter would draw a walk to drive in a run.
Erin Plunkett would hit a chopper up the middle to drive in a pair of runs, and
Zoey De Baca would drive in a run on a groundout, with another run scoring on the play due to a throwing error.
With a 6-2 lead, the Rambelles offense put up four more runs in the fourth inning.
Gunther started the two-out rally with a single, and the inning was kept alive by a Lady Buffs error. With two runners on, Trotter doubled to left center field to make it 8-2. Another error by WT scored another run in the inning, and a double steal by
Katie Burris and Plunkett saw the latter cross home plate.
The hosts would score once in the fourth and fifth innings, and score three runs in the seventh, but the Rambelles would hold on for the win.
Amelia Hatthorn picked up the win, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing four runs. Wolkow picked up her fifth save of the season, allowing one hit in one inning of work.
The Rambelles close out the regular season with a 37-15 record and a 28-14 record in conference play. The Rambelles will be the third seed in next week's LSC Tournament, where they will take on sixth-seeded Lubbock Christian in the quarterfinals on Friday at 11 a.m. in Canyon.
