The No. 19-ranked Angelo State softball team (48-13) bounced back Saturday with a 7-5 win over No. 5-ranked Midwestern State to claim the title at the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional at Mustangs Park in Wichita Falls, Texas. The host Mustangs forced the decisive if-necessary game with a 7-2 win in the first game of the day.

The Rambelles will be making their fourth trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship Finals in seven seasons next weekend at Heritage Park in St. Joseph, Mo. ASU will open this year's event at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27, against Metropolitan State (51-4), the Central Region champion. ASU also advanced to the National Championship Finals in 2004, 2007 and 2009, winning the national title in 2004.

In Saturday's deciding game, Midwestern State (54-9) struck first as Natalie Rodriguez opened the game with her eighth home run of the year to give the Mustangs a quick 1-0 lead. However, the Rambelles answered with four runs in the bottom of the first, using a long ball of their own to take control of the "if" game.

Senior Sarah DeMoss led off ASU's half of the first with an infield single and then stole second. After a ground out by junior Kaycee Taylor to move DeMoss to third base, junior Alix Dean reached base as she was hit by a pitch, giving ASU runners at the corners.  Freshman Kacie Easley then knotted the game, 1-1, with an RBI ground out to third base as DeMoss beat the throw home. Freshman Amanda Wilhelm then plated Dean with a single to center field and junior Brittany Astle lifted the Rambelles to a 4-1 advantage with a two-run homer to left field, her fourth long ball of the season.

The Rambelles would add to their lead in the second inning as ASU took advantage of a Mustang error. With two outs, DeMoss sent a single up the middle and then stole her second base of the game. Taylor then hit a routine ground ball to the left side of the infield, but an error by the MSU shortstop allowed DeMoss to score from second base to give the Rambelles a 5-1 lead.

The ASU defense would step up and allow the Rambelles to maintain their lead. Angelo State got inning-ending double plays in the second, third and fourth innings. The Mustangs scored a run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by McKenzie Sickler, scoring Amanda Potysman from second base, to cut the ASU lead to three runs, 5-2.

The Mustangs threatened in the top of the sixth inning as they loaded the bases with no outs, but only plated two runs as ASU held on to a one-run lead. Potsyman picked up two RBI in the frame with a single up the middle, scoring both Courtney Bingham and Megan Chartier. However, MSU stranded a pair of runs after back-to-back ground balls to end the inning.

ASU then loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and added two runs back to their lead with a two-out, two-run single to right field by junior Kaycee Taylor, scoring Astle and freshman Chelsey Walters. Taylor's hit turned out to be the game-winner as MSU's Rodriguez started the seventh as she did the first, with a solo home run, to complete the scoring. MSU brought the game-tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but the game ended on a fly out by Lauren Craig to left field to send the Rambelles to the national finals for the second straight season.

Senior right-hander Chelsea Nelson (27-8) picked up her second win of the weekend as she allowed five earned runs on 10 hits. Nelson struck out one and issued four walks. DeMoss went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored while Astle ended the game 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.

For MSU, Brittany Tanner (22-3) was handed the loss after giving up five runs, four earned, on four hits in 2.0 innings of work. Katie Peterson tossed the final 5.0 innings to finish the game for the Mustangs, giving up two earned runs on four hits.

In Saturday's opener, Midwestern State set a new Lone Star Conference single-season record for victories with its 54th win. The Mustangs opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Potysman hit a three-run home run to left field to lift the Mustangs to an early 3-0 lead and never trailed in the game. The Rambelles did climb within one run in the bottom of the second as Easley opened ASU's half of the inning with a four-pitch walk and Wilhelm followed with her second home run of the season to cut the MSU lead to 3-2.

The Mustangs extended their lead back to three runs, 5-2, in the top of the fourth innings on back-to-back home runs by Potysman and Sickler. MSU added a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to a bases-loaded walk and an RBI ground out, to take a 7-2 lead. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, the Rambelles got back-to-back infield singles by DeMoss and Taylor and two batters later loaded the bases with a walk drawn by Easley. But, ASU could not counter as the Rambelles ended the inning with a ground out to third base by Wilhelm.

Senior right-hander April Haywood (18-5) was handed the first game of the day, giving up five earned runs on five hits in a complete-game performance. Haywood struck out three while issuing 11 walks. Wilhelm ended the game 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.

For MSU, Tanner struck out 12 Rambelles as she gave up two earned runs on three hits in 7.0 innings of work. Potysman went 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs, also drawing a pair of walks.

-- courtesy of ASU Sports Information