TXST SOFTBALL
It was the perfect way to cap off senior weekend for the Bobcats.
Senior Aiyana Coleman crushed a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth as Texas State beat the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 6-2 to complete the three-game sweep.
“I think going to [the at-bat], I just wanted to go in there with confidence,” Coleman said. “I felt like my previous at-bats weren’t as confident. I know that my team needed me, and I just wanted to go in there with confidence to know that I’m capable.”
It was an emotional weekend for the Bobcats, honoring their eight senior players: Coleman, Sami Hood, Megan Kelnar, Emma Strood, Analisa Soliz, Keely Williams, Sidney Harvey and Karmyn Bass, who were playing their final games at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
“What a special group,” Head Coach Ricci Woodard said.
”They have given us every piece of themselves over the last two-to-four years. They’ve been a fun group to watch. They just get after it, show up and try to win ball games. Sometimes they probably try to do too much, so they’ve just been a really fun group to have around.”
On the field, the Bobcats were looking to bounce back after their one-run loss to Baylor last Wednesday.
Texas State responded by scoring three unanswered runs after trailing 4-2 to win the first game of the series against Coastal Carolina at 5-4.
“I had no doubt in us,” Hood said, who tied the game on a two-run home run.
”The Baylor game wasn’t our best game. I knew that we were going to come through and play our best games this weekend and do it for each other.”
The Bobcats followed up their Friday game with a spectacular pitching performance from senior Emma Strood who tossed a two-hit shutout while sitting down 16 consecutive batters in Texas State’s 5-0 win over Coastal Carolina.
“I told her before the game that if she hit her spots and spun the ball well today, she was going to have a really good game,” Woodard said. “I thought she did a really good job of just keeping them off balance and keeping the ball in the zone enough, but she’s doing a really good job just to keep that offensive lineup off balance.”
In the bottom of the sixth tied at 2-2, the Bobcats loaded up the bases with one out following a walk from senior Megan Kelnar, a walk from Hood and a single from Bass.
Coming up to the plate, Coleman crushed the ball over the wall in center, hitting the grand slam and putting the Bobcats up 6-2 for their first lead of the game.
“It was awesome, just the whole surreal moment of it,” Coleman said. “My last step out on my home field, and all the emotions of my teammates, seeing them at home plate waiting for me. I think that’s just surreal.”
Soliz came in to close out the game, getting the next three outs to seal the win.
“It was nice to get Analisa on the field,” Woodard said. “We just haven’t been in that spot where we’ve been able to really make a lot of pitching changes lately. So to get the chance to come in, spin the ball a little bit, and finish your career here at home on the diamond, it was just the perfect ending to the perfect storm.”
Texas State closes out the regular season on the road and just sits two games out first place behind Marshall and Louisiana Monroe.
The Bobcats close out their final Sun Belt Conference series against App State. The Mountaineers are 28-19 overall and 7-14 in conference play following their series loss to Georgia Southern.
First pitch for Game 1 is set for Thursday at 5 p.m.
