The No. 19-ranked Angelo State softball team (49-14) was sent to
the losers' bracket after a 1-0, 10-inning loss to No. 3-ranked
Hawaii Pacific Friday in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Division
II National Championship.
The Rambelles next game is 5 p.m. Saturday in an elimination
game against either the Molloy/Bloomsburg winner. Those two teams
will play at 12 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game. HPU advances
to the national semifinals and will play at 2:30 p.m. Sunday
against an opponent yet to be determined.
The Sea Warriors (48-8) scored the only run of the game with
two outs in the top of the 10th frame when they took advantage of
ASU's first error of the national finals. With runners at the
corners, pinch runner Malia Killam stole second, but the throw back
to the pitcher got away and allowed Kozy Toriano to score from
third base. The next batter, Breanne Patton, ground out first base
to end the frame. It was the only time in the contest that HPU got
a runner to third base.
ASU had a chance to end the game in the bottom of the seventh,
eventually loading the bases. Junior Brittany Astle led off the
final inning of regulation with her second hit of the game, a
single up the middle, and advanced to second base on a sacrifice
bunt by freshman Chelsey Walters. One batter later, the Rambelles
had a chance for a walk-off hit, but HPU's Toriano robbed a
potential game-winning double off the bat of ASU senior Megan
Pumphrey with a leaping catch near the center field wall. ASU
followed up with a hitter batter, senior Nicole Smith, and an
infield single by senior Sarah DeMoss to load the bases with two
outs, but was not able to bring home the game-ending run.
Senior right-hander Chelsea Nelson (28-9) had one of her best
performances of the postseason as she limited the Sea Warriors to
just six hits. Nelson retired the first seven HPU batters of the
game before giving up an infield single with one out in the third
inning. She later retired 13 consecutive HPU hitters from, spanning
sixth to the 10th inning, and ended the game with four strikeouts
with no walks in a 10.0-inning performance, her second longest of
her career.
Astle ended the game 2-for-4 with a double while junior Kaycee
Taylor went 2-for-5. Astle's double came with one out in the second
inning as she nearly belted a home run over the left field fence,
hitting two feet shy of the top of the wall.
HPU's Sherise Marquiz (32-3) battled with Nelson as she also
gave up six hits and had four strikeouts and issued two free
passes. Toriano led the Sea Warriors with a 2-for-4 performance
with a run scored.
Now in four trips to the NCAA D-II National Championship Finals,
the Rambelles dropped to 1-3 in second round games, losing their
third consecutive such game in the final inning. In 2007, ASU
dropped a 6-5 decision in the bottom of the seventh inning on a
walk-off home run by Lock Haven. Last spring, the Rambelles were
handed a 3-2, 11-inning defeat to North Georgia as the Saints
scored three runs in the bottom of the 11th frame after ASU grabbed
a 2-0 lead in its half of the inning. The Rambelles are 1-1 in
games after a second-round defeat, including a 7-3 win over Winona
State last season.
-- Courtesy of ASU Sports Information