KINGSVILLE, Texas – One more home doubleheader remains on the schedule for the No. 8 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team and that non-conference matchup will be against the St. Mary's Rattlers, who the Javelinas will host on Thursday evening, with game one's first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. at Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field in Kingsville, Texas.
The Javs finished up the home portion of their conference schedule with twin bills against the Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps on Friday and the Angelo State Rambelles on Sunday, finishing each day with a win and a loss. Against then 15th-ranked LCU, junior Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) led her team to a game one win by firing seven innings without allowing an earned run in a 5-1 victory. This marked the seventh time in 2022 Castillo has thrown seven innings and allowed two earned runs or less.
In TAMUK's win over No. 11 ASU, sophomore Natalie Rodriguez (Edinburg, Texas) and junior Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) combined to drive in seven runs in an 11-5 triumph. Onofrei's 48 RBIs are the second-most in the LSC and put her sixth all-time in program history for a single season. Rodriguez has driven in 29 and is closing in on the career-high total of 33 she set in 2021. Both players have contributed to a team total of 337 runs scored, the most in the LSC.
The season for the Rattlers has included a doubleheader sweep of then-No. 6 West Texas A&M on March 27th, but on Thursday they'll be attempting to bounce back from a difficult weekend against Texas A&M-Commerce and UT Tyler in which they lost three of four. StMU owns a sizable 73-33 lead in the all-time lead against TAMUK, but the Javs have taken 11 of the last 16 in the series since the start of 2018.
Coach Donna Fields has watched her team put together a 16-8 conference record that has then seventh in the LSC and a large part of their success has been due to the pitching of Catalina Cavazos. The junior from Houston owns a 1.76 ERA, seventh-best in the league. Cavazos nearly hurled a no-hitter in her las outing, tossing five innings of one-hit ball in a 9-0 win over A&M-Commerce. When the Rattlers and Javelinas met in conference play, Cavazos limited the Javs to two runs in eight innings as StMU logged a 3-2 victory in extra innings.
Be sure to take in all the action on Thursday through Javelinaathletics.com, where links will be provided to live video and live stats, as well as a recap after the first pitch. 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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