Canyon - Despite scoring three runs in the final two innings, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team fell just short of a late comeback push, losing 5-3 to the No.18 Angelo St. Rambelles in the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship.
The team fell just short of nabbing its third LSC Tournament Crown, completing a historic weekend that saw Kingsville reach the Title game for the first time since 2019, highlighted by an upset of No.4 West Texas A&M in the Tournament Semifinals.
Despite the loss, the season is undoubtedly not over for the Hogs, who will await their seed and opponent in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, which will be announced during Monday morning's Selection Show. On Wednesday, in the final NCAA Regional Rankings of the year, TAMUK was slotted in at sixth, with the opportunity to rematch Angelo State in the first round of the Regional Tournament remaining a possibility.
All Tournament Team
Four Javelinas: senior RHP
Andrea Martinez, junior RHP
Marianna Zumerle, freshman SS/DP
Ella Srubar, and sophomore SS/DP
Megan Geyer, were named to the All-LSC Tournament Team for their stellar performances throughout the three games that Kingsville played in Canyon this weekend.
Srubar's homer and triple against WT on Friday were huge for Kingsville, giving its pitching important run support and helping to secure the win. Geyer was stellar on both sides of the ball. She went 3-9 with a pair of walks, scoring three runs offensively, and had 11 total assists on the weekend, including a double play.
Martinez and Zumerle each took their turn pitching absolute gems for Kingsville in its two tournament wins. Zumerle threw 5.1 scoreless innings against perhaps the best hitting team in the nation, helping to blank WT and each TAMUK its trip to the Title Game. Martinez got the team to that position with a complete-game, one-run domination of Oklahoma Christian in the Tournament's Quarterfinals.
Comeback Bid
The Javelinas' offense struggled throughout the game, and was largely unable to match the timely hitting of the Rambelles, falling behind by as many as five runs. Once they were in that spot however, the team refused to give up, clawing its way back into the game. First, TAMUK scored a run on an RBI double from junior 1B
Dakota Martinez, pulling Kingsville with four. Then, in the seventh inning, sophomore pinch hitter
Audri Castillo worked a quality at-bat, battling with ASU to the tune of 11 pitches, before sending a shot deep over the left-field wall to score two runs. Though Kingsville was unable to get any closer to the eventual Champion Rambelles, its late-game fight epitomized its season up to this point.
Up Next
TAMUK will now wait to hear its name called during the NCAA's Selection Show on Monday morning.
