April 8, 2008
SAN ANGELO – 20th-ranked St. Mary’s University rode the hot pitching of Malissa Magee and the hot hitting of Sade Moore and Lindsay Barnes to split a doubleheader against third-ranked Angelo State University in softball action Tuesday afternoon at the ASU Softball Complex.
Magee (Sr., Katy) allowed five runs over the first two innings of game one as the Rattlers fell 5-1 in the opener. However, the seeds for a much better performance were laid in the first game. After allowing those five runs on four hits in the first two innings, she allowed just four more hits over the final five innings, and then carried that momentum into the second game.
Magee held the Rambelles, who average 7.2 runs per game this season, to just four hits and two walks in a complete game shutout. She struck out six in improving to 26-5 overall this season. She ranks second in the nation in wins. No Angelo State batter advanced past second base in the game.
The Rattlers jumped on ASU early in the second game and took a lead they would not relinquish. Moore (Jr., Angleton) singled to left to lead off the game and moved to second on a Mary K Pederson (Sr., Houston) sacrifice bunt. That brought up Barnes (Sr., San Antonio), who lined a single to right-centerfield, scoring Moore.
In the fourth inning the Rattlers increased their lead. Barnes led off with a single and one out later moved to third when Arlynda Flores (So., Uvalde) reached on an error. Lauren Miller (Fr., Baytown) singled to bring home the second run of the game for the Rattlers. The Rattlers put the game away with a run in the fifth on a wild pitch that scored Lia Provence (Fr., Bastrop). They scored two runs in the sixth on a two-run single by Moore that gave the Rattlers a 5-0 lead.
Moore went a combined 5-of-7 in the doubleheader with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Barnes went 3-for-3 in the second game. Miller had a base hit in each of the games.
With the split the Rattlers are now 37-9 overall, while ASU is 35-9. The teams completed play against each other, splitting the season series 2-2. St. Mary’s will return to action on Thursday against Texas A&M University-Kingsville at Rattler Field in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.