Season ends for ASU at Softball National Championship
Angelo State had its season come to an end Sunday with a 10-0,
five-inning loss to Alabama-Huntsville in the semifinals of the
2009 NCAA Division II National Championship Finals in Salem,
Va.
The Chargers (54-5) plated two runs in the top of the first and
added a six-run second frame to quickly put an end to the Rambelles
run for a second national championship in program history. ASU
closed out their 2009 campaign with a 50-10 record, the third
50-win season in the past seven seasons.
UAH began its offensive outburst with a two-out single by Emily
Roach, scoring Kristina Prater and Beth Lawson. In the second
inning, the Chargers got an RBI single from Prater, a bases-loaded
double by Lawson and a run-scoring double by Caitlin Lee to take a
7-0 cushion. Lee would score later in the inning on an illegal
pitch. Alabama-Huntsville capped its scoring with a two-run single
by pitcher Whitney Hawkins.
Junior right-hander Chelsea Nelson (31-6) was handed the loss
after giving up eight earned runs on six hits and one walk in 1.1
innings of work. Nelson ended the season one win shy of the school
single-season record of 32 victories, accomplished twice by Kari
Galm (2007, 2008). Junior right-hander April Haywood tossed the
final 3.2 innings of the contest, giving up two earned runs on five
hits with a strikeout and five walks.
The Rambelles collected just three hits of Hawkins, who improved
to 21-0 on the season. Hawkins recorded three strikeouts and had
one walk and hit a pair of ASU batters.
Junior Nicole Smith and sophomore Alix Dean each went 1-for-2
while freshman Sandy James finished the game 1-for-3 with a
double.
The Rambelles made their third-ever trip to the NCAA D-II National
Championship Finals, also advancing to the tournament in 2004 and
2007. ASU added a third-place finish to its national title in 2004
and a fifth-place finish in 2007. The Rambelles shattered
the team record for slugging percentage in a season at .565
after hitting a school-record 91 home runs and adding 99 doubles,
three shy of the school record, and 11 triples. The old
mark for slugging percentage was .497, set in 2007. ASU also set
new team record with 940 total bases.
- Courtesy of ASU sports information
