KINGSVILLE, Texas – After breaking a three-game losing streak with their most dramatic victory of the season, the No. 17 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team must attempt to carry the momentum from that win into two road doubleheaders, first against Lubbock Christian on Friday, where the teams will start a twin bill at 2 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas at Plainscapital Park, then the Javelinas will travel to San Angelo, Texas for two games against the Angelo State Rambelles, starting at 1 p.m. at Mayer Field.
That last victory for the Javs was a 3-2 barnburner against the No. 6 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions and the dramatic blow was struck by sophomore Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) in the bottom of the 12th. Her two-out, two-run walk-off homer boosted TAMUK's record to 14-6 in the Lone Star Conference, giving them sole possession of fourth place. Onofrei's homer was the first walk-off round-tripper for the Javelinas since Natalie Rodriguez's (Edinburg, Texas) game-winning dinger on Feb. 2nd, 2020.
The main reason Onofrei had the opportunity to win the game in the 12th was the pitching of freshman Lizette Del Angel (Calallen, Texas). Her 12 inning complete-game matched a program record and by allowing only two runs, Del Angel shrunk her ERA to a team-best 1.78, the lowest of any freshman in the LSC. She has also handed out only seven walks in 63 innings, giving her the fifth-lowest walk rate in the nation among pitchers who've thrown at least 60 frames. Del Angel's handed out one free pass in her last 35 1/3 innings.
The week's first task for Del Angel and her fellow hurlers will be attempting to cool down an LCU lineup that has put together the highest batting average in the LSC so far in 2021 at .363. The Lady Chaps enter the week on a seven-game win streak and they're averaging nearly nine runs per game since that streak began.
The first step in trying to contain LCU's lethal offense is keeping junior Savannah Wysocki off the bases. Not many teams have been able to accomplish this goal, as evidenced by Wysocki's .427 batting average and she's spent the year creating havoc on the basepaths to the tune of a conference-best 24 steals. She's also scored 42 runs, tied for the second-most in the nation and is currently on a 12-game hit streak.
The Rams have put together a win streak of their own, having taken their last five contests and outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 39-9 during those victories. No one has been swinging the bat better for ASU as of late than freshman Keilei Garcia, who went 7-for-10 over her team's last four games, blasting four homers and driving in 10 runs. Garcia is one of four Rambelles who's hitting over .350.
Links to live coverage, including streaming video of every game during TAMUK's road trip can be found on Javelinaathletics.com, where fans will also be able to find a recap at the end of each doubleheader. Stay current with Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on both Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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