COMMERCE, Texas – Junior Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) threw 11 2/3 innings across two games and earned two wins to help the No. 2 ranked and third-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team knock off the St. Mary's Rattlers by scores of 2-1 and 6-2 to capture the NCAA South Central Region 2 Championship on Saturday afternoon at the John Cain Family Softball Complex in Commerce. Texas.
These two triumphs send the Javelinas through to the super regional series, which will be hosted by the No. 1 UT Tyler Patriots in Tyler, Texas. The first game of the series will be played on Thursday.
"It all starts with [Saidi]," said coach Craig Nicholson. "She was absolutely phenomenal today after being phenomenal last night. We didn't know how much we were going to get from her today. To see her go out and do that last night and again today for 11 innings, phenomenal."
"I was just trying to find my way through everything," said Castillo. "I was trying to get ahead most of the time and help my team out as much as I could."
GAME ONE
The day's opening contest was a pitcher's duel all the way, as Castillo and StMU's Catalina Cavazos spent the first five innings trading zeroes. TAMUK's hurler didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning, while the Javs put two runners on in the fourth, only to see Cavazos squash the rally with an inning-ending strikeout.
The first Blue and Gold breakthrough came in the sixth and it started with singles from senior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) and junior Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas) and a walk to senior Jennifer Giesey (Crystal Lake, Ill.). The scoreless tie was broken when sophomore Kayla Gonzales (San Antonio, Texas) followed with a base knock through the middle and a run-scoring single off the bat of junior Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) two batters later handed Castillo a 2-0 lead.
The Rattlers immediately threatened TAMUK's advantage, starting their half of the sixth with a double and RBI single, but Castillo retired the next three hitters on a fielder's choice and two flyouts, ending the threat. StMU brought the winning run to the plate with two outs in the seventh, but Castillo stuck out Amber Gonzales to get the Javs halfway home.
GAME TWO
The clincher started with more scoreless softball, but this time the 0-0 draw only lasted until the third, when the Rattlers loaded the bases with nobody out. Two runs came across on an error, but Castillo quelled the uprising by setting down the next three hitters.
The StMU lead didn't last long. After Gonzales reached on an error to begin the fourth, four straight singles followed, the third one coming courtesy of senior Kaylee Dietrich (Phoenix, Ariz.), whose base hit into left plated her team's first run. When sophomore Natalie Rodriguez (Edinburg, Texas) sent a single of her own through the middle, the game was tied at two with the based still loaded and nobody out.
After the Rattlers recorded the inning's first out, Kelly and Cervantes kept the line moving with consecutive bases-loaded walks and a Giesey knock through the middle pushed across the inning's fifth run. Gonzales completed the rally with a bouncer through the box and TAMUK headed to the bottom of the fourth in front, 6-2.
Castillo and sophomore Lizette del Angel (Robstown, Texas), who entered with two outs in the fifth, allowed only a single baserunner in the fourth and fifth before their opponents threatened by putting the first two runners on in the sixth. Del Angel was up to the challenge, however, putting away the next three hitters, then only allowed a lead-off single in the seventh. When Ericka Gomez bounced to second with two outs in the seventh, the Javelinas had secured their spot in the super regional series.
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