East Central Final Box   ::   St. Mary's Final Box

SAN ANTONIO – Junior catcher Kacie Easley went 4-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored in the second game of the day to help lead the No. 16 Angelo State softball team to an 11-5 victory over St. Mary's on Friday. The Rambelles dropped their first game to East Central, 8-7, at the SAISD Sports Complex in the St. Mary's Tournament.
 
In the night cap against the Rattlers (1-1), the Belles' offensive produced 10 runs over the final three innings, which was jump-started by a single swing. Trailing 5-1 in the top of the fifth, Amanda Wilhelm stepped in the box for the first time with a simple game plan.
 
“We were struggling hitting the drop ball so I talked to my teammates and I just moved up in the box to try and take away her inside drop,” said Wilhelm.  
 
The game plan was put into action on the first pitch, as the junior launched it over the left-field wall to spark a two-out rally. The Rambelles would string together three more hits and tack on two more runs to make it a 5-4 deficit.
 
If some is good more is better.
 
In the top of the sixth, Angelo State took advantage of a pair of St. Mary's errors and scored six runs on just four hits to gain  a 10-5 advantage. DeeshanaLynn Tafiti highlighted the inning with a two-run home run that even surprised Angelo State head coach Travis Scott.
 
“There was a tree in left field, and I thought it might take it down,” said Scott. “She hit a rope; she's been working on making solid contact and she certainly did on that pitch. It's always nice to see all the time spent in the offseason payoff for a player”
 
Kat Massey threw 4.0 innings in her first start as a Rambelle before handing the ball over to Mary Kate McKay (1-0). McKay – a sophomore from Madill, Okla. – allowed just one hit over the final three innings to secure an 11-5 win.
 
The Rattler's Vianna Guiterrez took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in 1.0 inning of work.
 
In game one, Angelo State climbed to a 5-3 lead over East Central (2-0) after putting up four runs in the third inning.  The Rambelles would take a one-run lead (6-5) into the final frame but were unable to secure a victory.  The Tigers plated three runs on six hits to take an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
 
The Belles would load the bases with one out, but only managed one run and fell 8-7 to East Central.
 
Angelo State will play a pair of games Saturday in the St. Mary's Tournament. The Rambelles take on Texas A&M-International at 10 a.m. before returning to the diamond for a 2 p.m. match-up with St. Edward's.
 
Heavy rain is forecasted for the San Antonio area and game times in the St. Mary's Tournament are subject to change.