Rambelles take 'Cats 8-3 in extra innings
5/2/2009 2:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score
LSC Softball Tournament Web Site
ABILENE - Angelo State erupted for five runs in the top of the eighth inning as the No. 4 Rambelles took an 8-3 victory in game one of a best-of-three series to determine the Lone Star Conference Softball Championship Friday at Poly Wells Field.
Nancy Sawyers' solo home run in the sixth inning helped ACU tie the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a scoreless seventh, the game went into extra innings. In the top of the eighth, ASU got two-straight doubles from Macy Baker and Alix Dean with the latter scoring Baker to help the Rambelles go ahead 4-3.
Then, Kelly Causin struck out for out number one, however, the Rambelles' Amber Haywood singled home Dean to extend the ASU lead to two; then, Sarah DeMoss singled. ACU head coach Chantiel Wilson replaced starter Jacque Gregoire with Kim Partin following the DeMoss hit. But Partin's first batter faced, Nicole Smith, doubled to score DeMoss and Haywood to extend the Rambelle lead to 7-3. Kristin Frye grounded out to second base for the second out with Smith advancing to third. Sandy James reached on an error, which scored Smith for the final run of the game.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jenny Kulp singled and Shelby McElvain walked to put a pair of runners on, but Caitlin Nabors struck out to end the game.
Several key plays led to win for the Rambelles. In the third inning with two strikes and two outs, ASU catcher Laura Lopez hit a ball in play to foul territory in right field, however, McElvain dropped the fly. On the ensuing pitch, Lopez doubled down the leftfield line to score Smith and score the first run of the game.
ACU took the lead 2-1 in the bottom of the third thanks to RBI singles from Sawyers and Katie Cornelison. However, ASU took advantage of another ACU miscue in the fifth inning. With two outs, Gregoire walked the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, Frye. Frye, a .250 hitter on the season entering the series went to first with James, the team's leader in hitting with 23 home runs and 55 RBI. However, James upped her total to 24 homers and 57 RBI when she belted a two-run homer off Gregoire with two outs to regain the lead at 3-2.
Later, in the bottom of the fifth, ACU's top hitter Jessica Shiery appeared to have hit her 13th homer of the season, which would have tied the score at 3-3. However, Frye found her bearing along the centerfield wall and jumped to make the catch and rob Shiery of a homer.
Sawyers led off the bottom of the sixth with her 10th home run of the season, which did tie the score at three. However, with the extra at bats that ACU gave ASU with errors and walks, one of the nation's top teams in Angelo State pounced at the opportunity in the eighth and closed the game.
Abilene Christian will need two wins Saturday to take the LSC title. The first pitch in game two of the series is scheduled for Noon Saturday. If the Wildcats win game two, it will force a game three scheduled for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the second game. However, a win for ASU would give the Rambelles the LSC title.
