April 22, 2012
Austin, Texas – Even though they had already clinched the Heartland Conference championship a day earlier, the St. Mary’s softball team on Sunday looked like a team that still had plenty to play for.
The Rattlers completed the “Battle of the Saints” sweep with a 7-1 victory over the St. Edward’s Hilltoppers, as Jared Gonzalez pounded her eighth home run of the season to lead St. Mary’s to its third consecutive blowout over its rival in the regular-season finale.
Marciela Bissaro (So., San Antonio) picked up the win in the circle to improve to 8-3 on the season, while also improving her Rattlers to 32-17 and 13-2 in Heartland Conference.
The Rattlers won the Heartland Conference title with a pair of victories over St. Edward’s on Saturday, and will travel to Austin, Texas later this week for the Heartland Conference championship tournament as the top seed. St. Mary’s deferred the right to host the event due to its home field being in a state of renovation with the ongoing construction of the new outdoor sports complex.
On Sunday, Gonzalez (Jr., San Antonio), an honorable mention All-American a season ago, went 2 for 3 with four RBIs and one run scored. Her first-inning, three-run blast got things going in style for the Rattlers, as they never trailed in the game. They added on four more runs in the fifth to close out the contest.
Nicole Sardelich (Fr., Angleton, Texas), Taylor Vidrine (Fr., San Antonio) and Bissaro all added multi-hit days for St. Mary’s.
The Rattlers’ conference title marks their 11th in the last 12 years.