SAN ANGELO – The No. 1 Angelo State softball team used a complete game shutout from Morgan Hill to defeat No. 11 Colorado Mesa 4-0 and to win the NCAA Division II South Central Regional on Saturday afternoon at Mayer Field.
The Rambelles (55-5) outhit Colorado Mesa 6-2 and will play in their first NCAA Division II Super Regional since 2012. The Mavericks finish the year at 48-8.
ASU gave the ball to Morgan Hill in the circle and the junior delivered a clutch performances. The Salado native limited the NCAA Division II team leader in batting average to just two hits. She allowed only one hit through the first six innings of the game and only faced three over the minimum. Hill improved to 8-0 with the win. It is ASU's 21st shutout of the year.
Colorado Mesa started McKenzie Surface, who had held ASU hitless through the first six innings of Friday's game. It didn't take nearly as long as for the Rambelles to put a hit on the board. Bailey Wallace sent a ball up the middle for the first hit of the game in the bottom of the first inning.
Angelo State scored first in the bottom of the third. Brooke Mangold hit a single and stole second. The second baseman missed the ball and Mangold advanced to third. Madison Greenwell poked a ball through the left side of the infield for a RBI and 1-0 advantage.
The Rambelles added to their lead in the fourth in big way. Courtney Barnhill turned on a pitch and hugged the left field foul pole for a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning to make it 2-0
Greenwell kept the scoring going in the fifth. The junior reached on an error and was sitting on third after a wild pitch and sacrifice bunt. Heather Reatherford was pinch running for Kenedy Urbany and the freshman stole second base. The CMU catcher threw it over the head of the second baseman to allow Greenwell to score the third run of the game. Barnhill followed it up with her second RBI of the game hitting a single up the middle to plate Reatherford from second.
With the lead, Hill would sit down CMU in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. With two outs in the seventh, CMU recorded its second hit but a ground ball to Danae Bina secure the win with the final out at second base.
The Rambelles will face the winner of Texas Woman's and St. Mary's next week in the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional.
