ABILENE -
Sara Vaughn and
Courtney Flanary each blasted solo home runs against Angelo State starter Sandra Serna, but the Wildcats overall would leave 12 runners on base in an eventual 8-3 loss to the Rambelles Wednesday night at Poly Wells Field.
The loss dropped the Wildcats' season and Lone Star Conference records to 27-23 and 11-13, while the Rambelles improved to 31-15 and 16-8 with their series sweep of ACU.
Vaughn hit her fourth home run of the year in the third to cut the Angelo lead to 2-1, and then in the fourth, Flanary went deep over the wall in left-center with one out to make it a 4-2 game. Flanary's round-tripper was her eighth of the season.
Heather Peacock followed Flanary's shot with a double and eventually made it to third after Serna (20-5) walked the bases loaded with two outs, but the Angelo starter got
Keanna Winkfield to end the threat with a ground ball to shortstop.
ACU again loaded the bases in the fifth and seventh, but failed to score more than a single run either time. After Peacock drove home Vaughn to make it a 6-3 game in the fifth, reliever Mary Kate McKay came in from the bullpen and got
Cara Hoover to ground into an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.
McKay loaded the bases in the seventh on two singles and an error, but earned her second save of the year after striking
Anna Jones out to end the game.
McKay finished with a game-high five strikeouts.
Angelo State scored two runs each in the third, fourth and fifth innings off starter
Caitlyn Crain (13-11), and then added two more off relievers
Shelby Hall and
Peyton Mosley in the seventh.
Darian Dunn went 3-for-3 from the No. 7 spot and gave the Rambelles their first lead in the third inning with a solo home run to left.
Carly Peters and Lauren Smith also homered for the Rambelles.
The Wildcats return to action Friday at 7 p.m. for the start of a three-game series vs. Midwestern State.
ACU's senior class of Crain, Hall, Winkfield and Vaughn will be recognized prior to Saturday's noon doubleheader.
