Wildcats fall to Angelo State, 8-7

Rambelles score three in bottom of seventh to win

SAN ANTONIO -- Win or lose, the seventh inning has been an adventure for the ACU Wildcats throughout the 2005 softball season.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Thursday afternoon was no different in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament.  Leading 7-5 against defending NCAA Division II national champion Angelo State, the Wildcats gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to fall 8-7 and drop into the loser's bracket of the tournament.

ACU (30-21) will be back at Rattler Field at 1:30 p.m. Friday in an elimination game against either St. Mary's or Regis.  St. Mary's is the top seed in the tournament, while Regis -- the No. 5 seed -- upset No. 4 seed Midwestern State, 5-4, in Thursday's first game.

The ballgame was tied at 5-5 going to the seventh inning before the Wildcats regained the lead by plating a pair of runs, thanks to two hits and a pair of errors by ASU first baseman Christel Neal.  Jade Wilson led off the inning by reaching when Neal dropped an easy popup on the infield.  Wilson moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Valerie Malkinson, and then scored when freshman Jessica Johnson pulled a single into left field, giving ACU a 6-5 lead.

With two outs and pinch-runner Claudia Stephens at second, Daisy Barcena singled up the middle to score Stephens, who made a nice play at the plate to slide around to back side of the plate, avoiding the tag of ASU catcher Julia Monsivais.

But in the most important bottom-of-the-seventh situation of the season, the Wildcats couldn't hold the lead.

Andrea Payan reached to lead off the inning when normally sure-handed ACU second baseman Kristin Alvarado fumbled her ground ball, allowing her to reach base.  Stephanie Fofi then doubled to right-centerfield to give ASU runners at second and third with no outs.

Whitney Meeks then singled to center to drive in the run that cut the Wildcats' lead to 7-6, and that's when ACU head coach Chantiel Wilson brought in Allison Crouse in relief of starting pitcher Jennifer Leal.  But Crouse immediately gave up the tying run when Monica Droz singled to left field to drive in the game-tying run.  After a Dionne Lopez sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out, Brittney Cargill hit a one-hopper to ACU shortstop Daisy Barcena, who fired home to try and cut off Meeks at the plate.  But Meeks slid under and around the tag of ACU catcher Ashley Whittenberg to score the game-winning run.

"The way we've played the seventh inning all season, no lead is safe until the last out is recorded," Wilson said.  "We've just had trouble putting teams away, and that showed again today.  But we played well, and we've got another chance tomorrow.  We'll just have to do this the hard way (through the loser's bracket)."

The first NCAA post-season softball game in ACU history got off to a bang when senior first baseman Katie Bryan -- leading off the game for the first time this season in a move by Wilson designed to get her best player more at-bats and less walks -- blasted the first pitch she saw over the wall in right-centerfield for a home run and a 1-0 lead.

Alvarado followed with a single and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt.  Malkinson by reaching on an error before Ashley Whittenberg singled to load the bases.  Danielle Faulk then followed Whittenberg with a grand slam to left-centerfield, giving her team a stunning 5-0 lead

"I think that first inning took a lot of pressure off and allowed our hitters to gain more and more confidence," Wilson said.  "But with Angelo State's lineup, no lead is safe.  They have too good of a hitting team to feel like five runs is enough."

But the way Leal pitched through the first three innings, it began to look like that might be the case.  She retired the first nine batters she saw before running into trouble in the fourth.  She gave up five runs on six hits, but was betrayed by a defense that committed two errors.  Neal got the game tied at 5-5 with a grand slam to left-centerfield.

"We kind of hit the wall in the middle innings, and that cost us," Wilson said.  "We weren't aggressive enough at the plate in some situations where we had chances to score, and that always hurts you."

Now the Wildcats -- who have lost three straight one-run games -- must re-group and get ready for an elimination game Friday afternoon.

"I don't believe it will be hard to get ready to play again," Wilson said.  "We're the No. 6 seed at this thing, so we don't have anything to lose.  We know that game (ASU game) could have gone either way, and I don't think our girls feel defeated in any way.  We'll come back tomorrow and play hard and see what happens."