SAN ANTONIO – Midwestern State continued its 10-game road trip on Friday afternoon and lost a pair of low-scoring games against St. Mary's. The Rattlers won the first game of the doubleheader, 3-1, and took the nightcap, 2-0. St. Mary's improved its overall record to 15-8 and is 7-3 in conference play. MSU fell to 3-17 overall with a 1-11 record against Lone Star Conference opponents.
GAME 1: St. Mary's 3, Midwestern State 1
Midwestern State turned three double plays in the opening game of the twin bill and took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Hayeli Acosta led off the inning with a base hit and advanced to second base on
Tatum Waller's sacrifice.
Chipper Mayorga hit a ground ball to the right side, advancing Acosta to third base, but second baseman Bryley Westfahl made the play at first unassisted.
With two outs,
Marisela Landa delivered a single down the third baseline to score Acosta and gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead that they would hold until the fifth inning.
Westfahl, who was 3-for-3 for the Rattlers, was caught stealing for the second out of the fifth inning, but pinch runner Hannah Melendez scored from third base for St. Mary's. Melendez was running for Izabella Valdez, who led off the inning with a single to left field.
The Rattlers took the lead with two runs on three hits in the sixth inning, including Miah Corona's RBI double that proved to be the game-winning hit after Gabriela Banda delivered a one-out double to start the rally. The Rattlers executed a double steal as Emma Wilson swiped second base, and pinch runner Milliana Torrez stole home to give St. Mary's an insurance run.
Myka Riley, who was 2-for -3, led off the seventh inning with a single, and
Madison Stewart delivered a double to left-center, putting Mustangs at second and third to start the inning, but both runners were left stranded.
The Mustangs had seven hits in the game and stranded six runners.
Emery Aguilar earned her first save for the Rattlers after Ariella Saenz (6-3) worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits to pick up the win.
Kayleigh Bowers (0-8) went the distance in the circle for MSU but took the loss, allowing three runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
GAME 2: St. Mary's 2, Midwestern State 0
St. Mary's pitcher Breanna Ford (2-1) pitched a complete game for the first time this season and held the Mustangs to just two hits.
Ford induced 11 groundball outs and threw 47 of 78 pitches for strikes. She recorded two strikeouts without walking a batter.
The Rattlers got two-out RBIs from Samiya Johnson in the fourth inning and Raegan Tennill in the fifth inning.
Erikha Ibarra-Subia had both hits for the Mustangs. She led off the game with a single up the middle and was caught stealing. In the third inning, the junior from Albuquerque, New Mexico, singled with two outs and was left stranded.
The Mustangs also stranded a runner when Landa was hit by a pitch in the second inning.
Isabela Cornell (2-4) worked 3 2/3 innings in the circle for the Mustangs, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Audrey Sierra pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief and allowed one run on one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.
Midwestern State travels 80 miles north to face St. Edward's for a doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon. Thunderstorms are expected in the Austin area on Sunday.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
