Angelo State Softball Loses 7th-Inning Lead at Regional Tournament

CANYON, TX — The Angelo State softball team is now facing elimination after losing a seventh-inning lead Friday in a 9-6 loss to West Texas A&M at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament.

The Rambelles took a 6-4 lead into the final inning after Kylie Forney hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Three outs from victory, the Belles were unable to contain WT’s explosive offense as the Lady Buffs scored five runs to take command of the critical game.

ASU had one last chance in the bottom of the seventh but went down in order.

The Belles must now defeat the winner of Texas A&M-Kingsville and Colorado State-Pueblo at noon Saturday — and then beat West Texas A&M twice on its home field to keep their season alive.

ASU fell to 47-13 with Friday’s loss, while WT improved to 49-7.

If the Belles can manage to win all three games Saturday, they’ll advance to next week’s Super Regional with a spot in the College World Series at stake.

ASU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against WT after a three-run HR by Ashleigh Dendas. Larryn Feuge’s RBI double in the second gave the Belles a 4-1 advantage.

WT has won all three games this year against ASU, making Saturday’s task even more daunting.

The Belles had the misfortune Friday of having to play WT just 30 minutes after their 6-5 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville in a game that was postponed from Thursday evening due to brush fires in the area that diminished the air quality.