AUSTIN, Texas – ALEXIS MASSIE came through in the clutch, and CADIE BELLE CURRIE had another productive outing in the pitcher's circle to open St. Edward's softball's Battle of the Saints series against St. Mary's with a split in today's doubleheader.
Game 1: St. Mary's 4, St. Edward's 0
St. Mary's manufactured runs via small ball early and broke through with critical hits late to defeat St. Edward's 4-0 in the series opener.
Lauren Gonzales sparked St. Mary's with a one-out bunt for a single, placing the ball perfectly between defensive fielders. St. Mary's speedy designated player then stole second, then advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Jamison Holder scored Gonzales on a groundout to shortstop.
The Rattlers plated another run off an error in the second inning, stealing second with runners in the corners and scoring Ericka Gomez from third on the overthrow from home to second.
St. Edward's loaded the bases in the second inning but failed to score. LAUREN HOYT led off with a single up the middle and moved into scoring position on Slaone Hill's sacrifice bunt. After ALEXIS MASSIE popped up to the pitcher's circle, YVONNE CASTILLO drew a walk, and HAILEY SONKA hit an infield single to load the bases. KATIE DILLON followed with a shot to centerfield but directly to Reyes to end the inning.
St. Mary's added two more runs in the sixth, taking advantage of an error and back-to-back singles to score the first run. Then a two-out RBI single through the right side for a second run.
Jadyn Abrego pitched all seven innings for St. Mary's, surrendering four hits, no runs, and one walk for her fourth win. MCKENNA LEAMON pitched a complete game for St. Edward's, with only one earned run and six hits surrendered with five strikeouts and three walks.
MEGAN MORRIS, Hoyt, JERZIE PELHAM, and Sonka each had a hit for St. Edward's. Gomez led St. Mary's with a 2-for-3 performance at the place, driving in one run and scoring another.
Game 2: St. Edward's 1, St. Mary's 0
In a game where hits were sparse, the St. Edward's Hilltoppers made the most of theirs, getting a walk-off single up the middle for the 1-0 victory to tie the series.
It was an impressive pitching display between St. Mary's Catalinea Cavazos, and St. Edward's CADIE BELLE CURRIE, the sixth and seventh best ERA in the conference at 1.28 and 1.33.
Currie went all seven innings for her fifth shutout of the season, surrendering only three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
St. Mary's managed to get a runner in scoring position in the second on a walk and sacrifice bunt, but Currie kept her composure, striking out Lauren Garcia to end the inning.
The Rattlers threatened again with a leadoff single from Holder in the top of the fourth. Abigail De la Rosa pinch-ran for Holder, stealing second and moving to third on a sacrifice bunt. However, Gomez grounded out to Massie at third to get St. Edward's out of the inning unscathed.
Currie got stronger as the game wore on, striking out the final two hitters in the sixth inning and retiring the side in order in the seventh.
Cavazos was just as good, striking out seven while hitting two batters and surrendering a walk. The senior right-handed pitcher carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, making one of her few mistakes when she hit leadoff batter JORDAN NEELY, who was pinch-hitting for RENNA TOOMEY.
JERZIE PELHAM pinch-ran for Neely, showcasing her speed by stealing second. Then Cavazos retired the next two Hilltoppers, getting ELLA HUTZLER to fly out to center field and Hoyt to pop up to first. Massie stepped into the batter's box and drove the first pitch back up the middle, just passed Cavazos' outstretched glove to score Pelham from second.
St. Edward's improved to 13-10 after the win with a 7-7 conference record. St. Edward's and St. Mary's will conclude the series tomorrow with a 3:00 p.m. game.
