SAN ANGELO, Texas – It was everything you could ask for in a championship softball game except for the final score.

Southeastern and Angelo State battled through five scoreless innings before a steal of home in the sixth gave the Rambelles a 1-0 win in the first game of the 2009 NCAA D-II Super Regional series.

Angelo State (47-8) came in with 85 home runs on the year and managed one scratch hit off SE’s Marge Johnson (26-6).

Southeastern (53-12) came in with 71 home runs and managed three hits off Chelsea Nelson (29-4). Bailey Mathes doubled off the top of the fence in right-center to open the seventh for the only extra-base hit of the game.

SE coach Ron Faubion said, “Angelo State did a great job. Give them all the credit. We had a mental lapse and it cost us. You can’t lose focus for even a few seconds against a good team.

“They had several opportunities to score and we turned in some good defensive plays. Morgan Miller, a true freshman, made a great play on a ground ball behind first base. Jackie Mullaney started a third-to-second-to-first double play to nip a threat in the fifth.

“We just lost our concentration for a moment in the sixth and they stole home on us.

That was the game. Now we just have to get ready for the next game and we’re not sure when it will be. The forecast is calling for rain Saturday. We have until Sunday to get the games played. All we can do is wait and see how it goes.

“Marge threw well except for a leadoff walk, a hit batsman and a wild pitch in the sixth. We made the defensive plays behind her except for one and one is all it takes to lose, especially at this level.

“Like I said, give them credit. We’ve played three times this year and lost by one run each time. We just have to find a way to get it done and we have to find it fast.

“We can talk about our defensive plays and that stolen base we shouldn’t have allowed and about taking third strikes we thought were out of the strike zone. It all boils down to the fact that we didn’t score and you can’t win without scoring.”

NCAA Division II

Super Regional

Angelo State 1

LadyStorm 0

Benita Sanchez opened the game with a base on balls, but was left stranded on second. She added singles in the third and fifth, but the Storm couldn’t come up with the big hit.

Sandy James, ASU’s big gun with 25 homers and 61 runs batted in, grounded out to second after drawing a pair of walks to go none for one on the day.

Southeastern never mounted a scoring threat until the seventh inning, after ASU had taken a 1-0 lead on the steal of home in the bottom of the sixth.

Mathes drilled a shot that looked to be out of the park, but it hit on top of the fence and stayed in play for a double instead of a game-tying home run.

ASU took advantage of a leadoff walk in the sixth, a sacrifice bunt, a hit batsman, and a wild pitch to move pinch-runner Nicole Wellmann to third base. Then came the mental lapse and the game-deciding steal of home.

Johnson struck out the next two hitters, but it came one play too late.

Sanchez sparked the Storm with two for two and a walk. Mathes was one for three with a double.

Sarah DeMoss beat out a roller back to the mound that ended in a bang-bang call at first base and ended Johnson’s bid for another no-hitter with two out in the fourth.

Johnson struck out 10, including five in a row, but walked six, hit one and was charged with a wild pitch.

Nelson struck out seven and walked only one, leaving the Storm with few opportunities to do anything with base runners.