Texas State earns second consecutive sweep with wins over Panthers

 A fielder’s choice by Georgia State kept the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Texas State freshman designated player Samara Lagway’s hit found its way to the Panthers’ shortstop, who made the throw to home. Sophomore pinch runner Brianna Sannem was tagged out at the plate, preserving the draw.

But it was only the first out. The Bobcats still had Lagway on first — who then stole second — and sophomore infielder ArieAnn Bell on third.

Senior outfielder Kennedy Cline hit another fielder’s choice in the next at-bat, this time to second base. Georgia State couldn’t make the throw in time. Bell scored the walk-off run, securing the 4-3 victory for Texas State on Saturday inside Bobcat Softball Stadium.

This was the second win of the weekend for the hosts. They kept the Panthers scoreless on Friday, 5-0. Now, they needed one more on Sunday to complete the series sweep.

Junior right-handed pitcher Meagan King was limited in Saturday’s matchup, throwing for just two innings after pitching three-straight complete games. Head coach Ricci Woodard turned to senior Krista Jacobs to start on Sunday.

Jacobs shut Georgia State out for six innings, allowing just three hits. Sophomore lefty Maria Flores made her debut for Texas State as the Bobcats’ closer, striking out the Panthers’ last batter to seal the shutout.

The maroon and gold’s bats stayed hot. The hosts knocked in six runs on eight hits to take the 6-0 victory and their second-consecutive conference sweep. All eight hits came from a different player.

Texas State (19-15, 8-4 Sun Belt) is now on a nine-game winning streak — its longest since the 2018 season. The Bobcats will put the streak on the line again Wednesday when they travel to Austin to take on the No. 9 Texas Longhorns (31-8, 5-2 Big 12) inside Red & Charline McCombs Field.