Last year, Angelo State finished its softball campaign with a sparkling 50-9 record but was one victory shy of becoming one of the final eight teams in the national championship tournament.

Facing high expectations for an even better season from a senior-laden team this year, the Rambelles did not disappoint, winning the Division II Softball Championship with a 7-3 triumph over Florida Southern May 16 in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

The finals were staged as part of the first Division II National Championships Festival.

The championship game was the third time the teams had met in the tournament. Angelo State squeezed by Florida Southern, 2-1, in Game 8, and the Moccasins hung a 7-0 loss on the Rambelles earlier on the final day to force a deciding nightcap.

Until the final two games, offense was hard to come by in the tournament. Of the first 13 games, 11 were decided by two runs or fewer, with an average of three runs per game. Angelo State and Florida Southern combined for 17 runs and averaged more than eight runs per game in the last two contests.

In the final championship game, Angelo State struck early. Alexis Wing walked in the first inning, stole second and moved to third on a passed ball before scoring on an error. Florida Southern pulled even in the bottom of the inning when Krista Bradley, who reached base on a error, scored on an Ashley Alpizar single.

The Rambelles countered with an offensive explosion in the second, pushing their lead to 5-1 on the strength of a lead-off home run by Cat Mareno and a three-run shot off the bat of Michelle Hofmann.

In the fourth inning, Angelo State padded its lead on a Wing groundout and a Hofmann single.

The Moccasins added single runs in the fourth and seventh innings but were unable to sustain rallies against Angelo State hurler Arin Spence, who chalked up four strikeouts and no walks in a nearly complete-game effort. Claudia Lopez got the final out of the game after allowing just one hit. Spence finished the tournament with a record of 3-0.

Florida Southern pitcher Megan Brown was tagged for three runs, three hits and a walk in two innings of work.

Angelo State head coach Travis Scott described the weekend of competition as long, but good.

"I tell you, that was exciting," he said. "We were real disappointed after that first game. But we came out and swung the bats in the second game. Our kids did a great job of bouncing back."

Chris Bellotto, head coach at Florida Southern, said her players blended youth and experience to put themselves in position to win, but Angelo State was better when it mattered most.

"It didn't work out for us, but hat's off to Angelo State. They're a very good team," she said.

Angelo State completed a 47-11 season, while Florida Southern, which also was national runner-up in 1987, finished the year with a 55-8 record.

Angelo State's Hofmann was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Teammates Spence, Wing and Lopez joined her on the all-tournament team, along with Florida Southern's Alpizar, Brown, Stephanie Huber and Jesse Shepherd. Also on the team were Abby Augdahl and Abby Velta of St. Cloud State, Shippensburg's Jaime Dacey, Cassidi Caringi of Western New Mexico and Caldwell's Corinne Reiser.

Regionals

At Bryant -- Merrimack 3, Bryant 2 (9 inn.); New Haven 1, C.W. Post 0; Caldwell 8, Merrimack 2; Le Moyne 6, New Haven 0; Bryant 4, New Haven 2; Merrimack 6, C.W. Post 5 (8 inn.); Caldwell 2, Le Moyne 1; Merrimack 6, Bryant 4; Merrimack 2, Le Moyne 1 (10 inn.); Caldwell 3, Merrimack 2 (9 inn.).

At Shippensburg -- Bloomsburg 1, Lock Haven 0 (15 inn.); Kutztown 5, Virginia St. 2; Shippensburg 5, Bloomsburg 0; Kutztown 4, California (Pa.) 1; Lock Haven 3, California (Pa.) 0; Bloomsburg 3, Virginia St. 2; Shippensburg 2, Kutztown 0; Bloomsburg 5, Lock Haven 0; Kutztown 1, Bloomsburg 0 (8 inn.); Shippensburg 2, Kutztown 1.

At Northern Ky. -- West Va. Wesleyan 5, SIU Edwardsville 4; Grand Valley St. 2, Alderson-Broaddus 0; Northern Ky. 6, West Va. Wesleyan 0; Lewis 1, Grand Valley St. 0; Grand Valley St. 5, SIU Edwardsville 4; West Va. Wesleyan 1, Alderson-Broaddus 0; Northern Ky. 2, Lewis 1; Grand Valley St. 3, West Va. Wesleyan 2; Grand Valley St. 7, Lewis 0; Northern Ky. 4, Grand Valley St. 0.

At. St. Mary's (Texas) -- UC-Colo. Spgs. 9, Midwestern St. 1 (6 inn.); Tarleton St. 5, (3) Texas Woman's 3; St. Mary's (Tex.) 11, UC-Colo. Spgs. 4; Angelo St. 5, Tarleton St. 0; Tarleton St. 3, Midwestern St. 1; UC-Colo. Spgs. 2, Texas Woman's 1; Angelo St. 7, St. Mary's (Tex.) 4; UC-Colo. Spgs. 5, Tarleton St. 3; UC-Colo. Spgs. 8, St. Mary's (Tex.) 6; Angelo St. 9, UC-Colo. Spgs. 1.

At Neb.-Omaha -- North Dakota St. 2, Emporia St. 0; Truman 1, Concordia-St. Paul 0; North Dakota St. 7, Neb.-Omaha 0; St. Cloud St. 5, Truman 3; Emporia St. 4, Truman 0; Concordia-St. Paul 2, Neb.-Omaha 0; St. Cloud St. 3, North Dakota St. 2; Concordia-St. Paul 2, Emporia St. 1; Concordia-St. Paul 8, North Dakota St. 2; Concordia-St. Paul 1, St. Cloud St. 0; St. Cloud St. 1, Concordia-St. Paul 0.

At Kennesaw St. -- Presbyterian 5, S.C.-Spartanburg 2; North Fla. 4, Belmont Abbey 1; Kennesaw St. 1, Presbyterian 0; Armstrong Atlantic 2, North Fla. 1; S.C.-Spartanburg 5, North Fla. 2; Presbyterian 2, Belmont Abbey 1; Kennesaw St. 2, Armstrong Atlantic 1 (9 inn.); Presbyterian 3, S.C.-Spartanburg 2; Presbyterian 1, Armstrong Atlantic 0; Kennesaw St. 5, Presbyterian 1.

At Fla. Southern -- Tampa 5, West Florida 4; Rollins 5, Benedict 0; Fla. Southern 3, Tampa 2; Rollins 4, Ala.-Huntsville 2; Ala.-Huntsville 2, West Florida 0; Tampa 1, Benedict 0; Fla. Southern 1, Rollins 0; Ala.-Huntsville 3, Tampa 0; Ala.-Huntsville 5, Rollins 1; Ala.-Huntsville 2, Fla. Southern 1; Fla. Southern 6, Ala.-Huntsville 2.

At Humboldt St. -- San Francisco St. 3, Seattle 0; Cal St. Dom. Hills 7, Cal St. Bakersfield 0, Humboldt St. 4, San Francisco St. 0, Western N.M. 6, Cal St. Dom. Hills 2; Seattle 4, Cal St. Dom. Hills 3; San Francisco St. 2, Cal St. Bakersfield 0; Western N.M. 3, Humboldt St. 0; Seattle 6, San Francisco St. 4; Humboldt St. 5, Seattle 1; Western N.M. 2, Humboldt St. 0.

Finals

Game No. 1

Angela Slaugh and Tiffany DeVaurs; Corinne Reiser and Danielle Guerra. W -- Slaugh. L -- Reiser.

Game No. 2

Krystal Lewallen and Megan Owens; Nicole Webb and Jessica Preiner. W -- Webb. L -- Lewallen.

Game No. 3

Claudia Lopez and Julia Monsivais; Kelley Tiesi and Sarah Costa. W -- Lopez. L -- Tiesi.

Game No. 4

Megan Brown and Ashley Alpizar; Lisa Macki, Janet Kearns (6) and Cambria McKay. W -- Brown. L -- Macki.

Game No. 5

Krystal Lewallen and Megan Owens; Corinne Reiser and Danielle Guerra. W -- Reiser. L -- Lewallen.

Game No. 6

Kelley Tiesi and Brenna Eck; Janet Kearns, Tara Hrycuik (5) and Cambria McKay. W -- Tiesi. L -- Kearns.

Game No. 7

Nicole Webb and Jessica Preiner; Angela Slaugh and Tiffany DeVaurs. W -- Webb. L -- Slaugh.

Game No. 8

Arin Spence and Julia Monsivais; Megan Brown, Stacey Bronson (6) and Ashley Alpizar. W -- Spence. L -- Brown.

Game No. 9

Kelley Tiesi and Sarah Costa; Angela Slough and Tiffany DeVaurs. W -- Tiesi. L -- Slaugh.

Game No. 10

Megan Brown and Ashley Alpizar; Corinne Reiser and Danielle Guerra. W -- Brown. L -- Reiser.

Game No. 11

Arin Spence, Claudia Lopez (1) and Julia Monsivais; Nicole Webb and Jessica Preiner. W -- Lopez. S -- Spence. L -- Webb.

Game No. 12

Arin Spence, Claudia Lopez (7) and Julia Monsivais; Kelly Tiesi and Brenna Eck. W -- Lopez. S -- Spence. L -- Tiesi.

Game No. 13

Megan Brown and Ashley Alpizar; Nicole Webb and Jessica Preiner. W -- Brown. L -- Webb.

Game No. 14

Claudia Lopez, Lori Hernandez (5) and Julia Monsivais, Jesica Stroud; Megan Brown, Stacey Bronson (6) and Ashley Alpizar. W -- Brown. S -- Bronson. L -- Lopez.

Championship game

2B -- McGalliard. HR -- Hofmann, Moreno. SB -- Wing, Faulkner. CS -- Hofmann, Faulkner. SF -- Gross.

WP -- Spence. T -- 2:34. A -- 375.