Angelina College’s Lady Roadrunner softball team went 1-3 in this past weekend’s season-opening tournament at Coastal Bend College in Beeville, but AC head coach Mark Mattson didn’t just see the glass half full – he saw it as having plenty of room for more.
The Lady ‘Runners opened the tourney with a 26-3 shellacking of Laredo, a game featuring four home runs, including Lynsey Mitchell’s grand slam, a two-run blast from Shay Vegas and a solo shot from Kayla Lahrmann. Mattson said his sluggers pounded the fence several more times in the win.
Against Coastal Bend, however, the team simply ran into a very good pitcher in a 4-2 loss.
“We had good swings against her, but she had such great stuff we were hitting mile-high fly balls all day,” Mattson said. “We were good defensively, but their pitcher was very, very good. I have to give her credit.”
The Lady Roadrunners then took on 15th-ranked Midland College, falling 10-2, and NAIA representative Houston-Tillotson, with AC dropping an 8-3 decision.
“We definitely faced some great teams this tournament,” Mattson said. “We have so many new players, so it was good for them to see what we’ll be facing all year.
“I still like what I see with these girls. They’re playing hard, and they’re going to hit. They just have to adjust to this level of competition.”
AC’s next opponent won’t be any easier. On Wednesday, the Lady ‘Runners host their home opener against the No. 1 team in the preseason polls: Temple College’s Lady Leopards. Temple split its home opener this past weekend with No. 7 Howard College, winning the opener 6-4 before dropping a nine-inning, 8-7 decision in the nightcap.
Wednesday’s doubleheader at Roadrunner Complex starts at 2 p.m.
The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu
