February 14, 2012
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Both sides of the coin were experienced in Rattler softball Tuesday as the Rattlers faced Tarleton State in a doubleheader to rise to a stunning 12-9 victory in extra innings and fall to a close 5-4 loss, seeing success in both games.
Game One saw the Rattlers (3-4) pound 11 hits for the team with Katie Nichols (Jr., San Marcos, Texas), Richelle Morales (Sr., San Antonio) and Christina Rodriguez (Jr., San Antonio) all coming away with two apiece. Maricela Bissaro (So., San Antonio), one of the Rattlers’ leading pitchers, aced her second win of the season with six strikeouts in seven innings. Bissaro also became slugger at the plate, knocking in a career-high four RBIs.
After pitching seven straight, the Rattlers went into extra innings with Bissaro looking at a tie ballgame, this time from behind the plate.
Bissaro smacked a homer in the top of the 8th to bring in the three runs that gave the Rattlers the win over Tarleton (5-4), 12-9. Nichols also homered for the Rattlers in the sixth, her first homer of the season, after hitting her second double of the season in the fourth.
The Rattlers geared up for Game Two of the day with Emily Brittain (So., Corpus Christi, Texas) at the mound for two strikeouts in five innings. St. Mary’s had the same power at the plate as they did in the first, this time with Jared Gonzalez (Jr., San Antonio) racking in four RBIs, the total runs for the game. Even with Gonzalez’s first home run of the season coming in the top of fifth that put the Rattlers in the lead 4-1, a rally in the sixth from Tarleton made it a tie ballgame once more.
But Tarleton was clutch in Game Two this time around. A single to centerfield for an RBI is all that was needed for Tarleton to stump the Rattlers, 5-4.
St. Mary’s continues its road stretch, landing in Saint Leo, Fla. to challenge Lindenwood University Friday at 12 p.m.