San Antonio – When the Lady Rattlers are on top of their game, they can beat just about anyone in the country.

They showed as much Friday, knocking off 25th-ranked Emporia State 5-3 to open the St. Mary’s Round Robin at St. Mary’s Softball Fields.

But with that victory came a sense of urgency in the way they played, a quality senior Alyssa Alfaro says the Rattlers need to exhibit with more consistency. For when St. Mary’s isn’t as intense – as is probably the case with any team – they become vulnerable, as they were in a 5-3 loss to Tarleton State later in the afternoon.

“We came in the first game with more energy than we did in the second one,” said Alfaro, a native of Eagle Pass, Texas, whose Rattlers also knocked off seventh-ranked West Texas A&M last week. “That has a lot to do with it. Maintaining it is what we need to work on.”

The round robin will conclude Saturday, with St. Mary’s slated to play Emporia State at 1:15 p.m. and Tarleton State at 3:30 p.m.

RE-WATCH THE VICTORY OVER EMPORIA STATE

Erasing a 1-0 first-inning deficit, St. Mary’s (9-4) stormed back with four runs in the bottom of the first inning to defeat Emporia State on Friday. Heather Haas (So., Shiner, Texas) smashed a two-run shot, her first home run of the season, to help jump-start the Rattlers’ feverish start in the game.

Haas (So., Shiner, Texas) went 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Katie Nichols (So., San Marcos, Texas) was 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored. Kelly Baker (Sr., Arlington, Texas) and Alex Garcia (So., San Antonio) also drove in one run apiece.

Emily Brittain (Fr., Corpus Christi, Texas) went the distance in the circle, striking out five and allowing only four hits to improve to 4-2 on the year.

Against Tarleton State, it was St. Mary’s who was unable to maintain the early advantage.

Haas singled to bring in Lauren Miller (Sr., Baytown, Texas) for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and Chelsea Wenske (Sr., Victoria, Texas) doubled to drive in another run in the second.

But the TexAnns fired back in the fourth, scoring four runs to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Wenske, Miller, Baker and Haas all recorded multi-hit performances in the game, with Wenske, Baker and Haas driving in the Rattlers’ three runs. Maricela Bissaro (Fr., San Antonio) struck out one in relief of Crystal Keller (So., Castroville, Texas), but was credited with the loss.

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