SAN ANTONIO, Texas — St. Edward's opened Lone Star Conference play Saturday afternoon with resilience and response, rebounding from an early setback to earn a split against rival St. Mary's at The Park at StMU.
After falling in the opener, the Hilltoppers answered emphatically in Game 2, building an early lead and holding off a late rally to secure a 7–4 victory and even the conference-opening doubleheader.
St. Mary's controlled the early momentum in Game 1, scoring four runs in the first inning behind aggressive baserunning and timely hitting. The Rattlers added two more runs in the second and never relinquished control, handing St. Edward's a 7–0 loss despite a pair of hits from RYAN RANGEL and a single from DAFNE MERCADO.
The Hilltoppers' pitching stabilized after the early surge, as HALEY CARMONA limited the damage with 4.1 innings of relief, allowing just one run and giving the offense opportunities to respond. St. Edward's threatened in the fifth inning, loading the bases after consecutive defensive miscues, but St. Mary's escaped the jam to preserve the shutout.
Game 2 told a different story.
St. Edward's wasted little time flipping the script, striking first in the opening inning. ARIANNA VIDALES ignited the offense with a leadoff single and later scored on a productive groundout from Rangel to give the Hilltoppers an early lead.
The decisive breakthrough came in the third inning. Vidales delivered a run-scoring triple to extend the advantage, and Rangel followed with an RBI single. Moments later, ALYSSA BURDGE doubled into the gap to drive in two more runs, capping a four-run inning that gave St. Edward's firm control.
The Hilltoppers added two additional runs in the fourth inning, capitalizing on defensive pressure and forcing errors to stretch the lead to 7–0. Vidales finished the game with two hits, including the triple, while Burdge and Rangel each drove in multiple runs to power the offensive surge.
In the circle, KYLEN PADGETT delivered a complete-game performance, navigating traffic throughout and limiting St. Mary's to four runs — only three earned — across seven innings. She recorded six strikeouts and worked through several scoring threats to secure the victory.
St. Mary's mounted a late push, scoring three runs in the seventh inning to cut the deficit, but Padgett closed the door to preserve the win and secure the split.
By day's end, St. Edward's had demonstrated both endurance and resolve. After absorbing the early blow in the opener, the Hilltoppers responded with timely hitting, disciplined execution, and a complete-game effort in the circle — the kind of response that defines conference play.
With the split, St. Edward's moves to 3-8 overall and 1-1 in Lone Star Conference action, establishing a foundation as conference competition begins in earnest.
