KINGSVILLE, Texas – A walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning from sophomore Natalie Rodriguez (Edinburg, Texas) capped off a day in which the No. 8 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team twice defeated the St. Mary's Rattlers, taking game one 6-2 before a 3-2 triumph in the second contest in Thursday evening at Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field in Kingsville, Texas.
The Javelinas now own a record of 37-8, including a 15-3 mark at home, while the Rattlers are 32-13.
GAME ONE
Junior Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) started the game in the circle for the Javs and in 5 1/3 innings she would allow just two earned runs. Castillo stranded multiple runners in base in almost every inning and didn't permit a single extra base hit during her outing.
The Rattlers scored single runs in the second and the third to take a 2-1 lead, but the Javs used a rally in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good. The frame began with a walk and a single to bring up junior Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas), who slapped a go-ahead, two-run knock through the middle that put the Blue and Gold in front. Following another hit and a flyout, senior Kaylee Dietrich (Phoenix, Ariz.) plated a pair with a double into the gap in left-center that made the score 5-2.
An insurance run came in the form of an Aaliyah Ortiz (San Antonio, Texas) RBI double in the fifth and Castillo and freshman Carissa De Los Santos (Kingsville, Texas) made sure the lead would stand up. De Los Santos entered in the fifth and recorded the final five outs to lock up game one.
GAME TWO
Once again, the Rattlers seized an early lead, scoring a run in the second inning on a fielder's choice and adding a second thanks to a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, but the Javelinas erased that deficit in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of singles and a stolen base put runners on second and third with one out and TAMUK's first run came in on a Jennifer Giesey (Crystal Lake, Ill.) sacrifice fly. One batter later, when freshman Rylee Oborski (Salado, Texas) scored on a groundout, the game was tied at two.
Sophomore Lizette del Angel (Robstown, Texas) made sure the Rattlers couldn't regain the lead with five innings of superior relief work. She gave up only two hits and didn't walk a batter, while retiring the final eight hitters she faced.
The scored stayed level until Rodriguez stepped up to lead-off the eighth. On a 2-0 pitch, the sophomore from Edinburg crushed a long drive over the left field wall for her second career walk-off homer, providing the exclamation point on a two-win day for TAMUK.
The Javelinas return to action on April 22nd, when they'll play Midwestern State in doubleheader in Wichita Falls. 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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