March 31, 2012
San Antonio – It was around this time last year when the St. Mary’s softball team stood and watched Texas A&M International celebrate on their home field.
The moment, Katie Nichols says, stuck with the Rattlers all offseason.
“Richelle (Morales) talked before the game in our huddle about having that sick feeling in our stomach about them taking it last year,” says Nichols, whose Rattlers lost to the Dustdevils in last year’s Heartland Conference Tournament.
They weren’t about to let the Dustdevils celebrate again.
St. Mary’s enjoyed a 6-0 victory over Texas A&M International on Friday, as Richelle Morales, Nichols and Vianna Gutierrez all had big games at the plate to complement the complete-game shutout pitched by Emily Brittain.
With the win, St. Mary’s (23-16, 5-2) moved a game ahead of Texas A&M International (4-3) for second place in the Heartland Conference standings.
Gutierrez (Fr., San Antonio) went 2 for 3 with an RBI in the win, while Morales (Sr., San Antonio) went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI as well. Nichols also had a two-hit game with an RBI.
St. Mary’s opened up a 1-0 lead in the first and extended that advantage with two-run innings in the fourth and fifth frames en route to scoring six runs.