SALEM, Virginia – The No. 1 Angelo State softball team secured its right to play for a national title in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship series starting on Sunday with an 8-3 win over Armstrong State on Saturday night at Moyer Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
The Rambelles (60-5) scored its most runs of the College World Series and recorded eight hits in the victory. The Pirates (38-14) were plagued by three errors and were held to three runs on seven hits. It will be the second time ASU will play for a national championship after winning it all in 2004. The championship series will be best two out of three and the first game time will be determined after the Minnesota State and Virginia Wesleyan game concludes.
ASU struck first in the bottom of the third inning. Madison Greenwell stepped to the plate with two on and one out. The junior sent a ball over the center fielder's head to score Danae Bina and Brooke Mangold for two RBIs.
Morgan Hill got the start and held Armstrong State scoreless through the first three innings. The Pirates were able to get to Hill in the fourth with three runs on three hits to take a 3-2 lead.
The Rambelles quickly answered in the bottom of the fourth. Down to two outs in the fourth, Bina singled to the shortstop and Amanda Ramage kept the inning alive with a single of her own down the left field line. Mangold hit a hard ball that the first baseman couldn't handle that allowed Bina and Ramage to score to regain the lead for ASU at 4-2.
Greenwell singled for her second straight hit to extend the inning. Bailey Wallace drove home both Mangold and Greenwell with a single to centerfield to extend the advantage to 6-3.
Kenedy Urbany came in relief in the fifth and Armstrong State was only able to produce one hit. The first batter Urbany faced hit a single to right center and after that the senior sat down six straight batters.
ASU added two more insurance runs in the sixth. Urbany helped her cause with a RBI sacrifice fly and Courtney Barnhill's RBI single made it 8-3. Mangold scored three runs on the day while Greenwell and Wallace each drove in a pair of two RBI.
Urbany closed the game out for her third save of the season with a pair of strikeouts and a grounder to send the Rambelles to the championship series. Hill was credited with her 10th win of the season striking out four in 4.0 innings pitched. Urbany struck out four in three innings pitched.
The game time will be decided after the West Virginia and Minnesota State game. The game will be carried on KCLL 100.1 with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
