Texas State won their final Sun Belt Conference series of the season as the Bobcats defeated the App State Mountaineers 15-1 to clinch the series.
The Bobcats improved to 36-19 for the season and 16-8 in conference play.
In the double-header on Friday, the Bobcats were locked in an offensive slugfest in Game 1 against App State.
Texas State went up 3-0 over App State following a Mountaineer error then a sacrifice fly by junior Kate Bubela.
App State took the lead in the bottom of the first, scoring on an RBI single before hitting a grand slam to go up 5-3.
But the Bobcats answered with a two-run third inning following a solo home run by senior Kat Zarate then an RBI double by senior Keely Williams.
App State took the lead back in the bottom of the third following an RBI double but the Bobcats answered with a six-run at-bat in the top of the fourth to go up 11-6.
The Mountaineers responded with a five-run at-bat in the bottom of the fourth as the game was tied at 11-11.
App State jumped back in front with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth but the Bobcats tied the game up in the top of the seventh following a solo home run by senior Aiyana Coleman. The Mountaineers won the game in the bottom of the seventh with a walk-off RBI single to win 13-12 and even the series.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Bobcats continued their offensive onslaught with a six-run top of the first to take a commanding lead.
App State could only muster one run in the bottom of the first as the Bobcats went on to score nine unanswered runs en route to a 15-1 win to clinch the series.
Texas State finishes third in the conference standings and will enter the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed.
The Bobcats will open up tournament play against the No. 6-seeded James Madison Dukes. This is a rematch from last year’s conference tournament opener where the Dukes upset the Bobcats 2-0.
First pitch is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Weekend Notes
- Texas State currently sits 31st in RPI and are in position for snagging an at-large bid. The Bobcats resume currently boasts four Quad 1 wins over Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Clemson and Northwestern.
- While the Bobcats don’t need the autobid to punch their ticket for the NCAA Tournament, a deep run in the conference tournament will go a long way solidifying their spot.
- Texas State’s pitching staff is currently boasts the best team era in the conference at a 2.51, which also ranks inside the Top 25 nationally
- The Bobcat offense has seemingly found their stride over the last few weeks, having scored five or more runs in seven of their last ten games and are currently averaging 6.6 runs per game during that stretch, a +2.31 difference on the team’s season average.
