SAN ANGELO – The No. 1 Angelo State softball team shutout Texas Woman's 5-0 in the first game of the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional on Thursday at Mayer Field.
The Rambelles (56-5) scored five runs on five hits and limited the Pioneers (37-21) to three hits.
Brandy Marlett started in the circle and only gave up three hits over six innings. The junior struck out seven batters and didn't allow a walk. After a leadoff bloop hit, the Henderson, Nevada, native sat down 11 straight.
ASU got on the board in the first after Madison Greenwell led off the inning with a hit. With runners on first and second, Courtney Barnhill hit a grounder to second base. Kenedy Urbany hesitated between first and second as the second baseman threw it to first. Urbany advanced to second and Greenwell, who was on second base, took advantage of TWU trying to throw out Urbany to score the first run.
Urbany got the crowd on their feet in the third inning. The senior crushed the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for a two-run home run. It is her 14th home run of the season and the 44th of her career.
Barnhill followed up Urbany's two-run home run with one of her own in the fifth. The freshman sent a ball into the right center stands to increase the lead to 5-0.
Marlett faced some trouble in the sixth. A leadoff triple and a hit-by-pitch put two on with no outs. The junior responded with a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball to centerfield to end the threat.
Morgan Hill closed the game out in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts to secure the win.
The Rambelles will need one victory to win the NCAA Division II Super Regional. First pitch of game two is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Mayer Field.
