Texas State stays competitive with No. 23 Texas in 4-2 loss

Texas State took No. 23 Texas down to the wire on Wednesday.

After remaining deadlocked at 2-2 for the majority of the game, Longhorns junior designated player McKenzie Parker sent a two-RBI home run over the centerfield fence in the top of the seventh, giving Texas a 4-2 advantage. The maroon and gold couldn’t answer in the bottom of the inning, suffering a loss inside Bobcat Softball Stadium.

“I thought we competed well tonight,” head coach Ricci Woodard said in a statement. “(Texas) executed late in the game and we didn’t. We left a runner in scoring position, and we could’ve scored earlier in the game, but those are just the breaks of the game.

“We must keep battling and keep going at it and fight through the process day after day. But I agree 100%, I like this team and the way they competed tonight. We just didn’t come up with some hits when we needed them.”

After sophomore starting pitcher Jessica Mullins kept the visitors off the scoreboard in the first inning, the Bobcats (14-13, 2-4 Sun Belt) picked up a quick lead. Sophomore shortstop Hannah Earls led off with a single to the pitcher. Two at-bats later, junior third baseman Sara Vanderford pounded the ball for a home run to left field, putting Texas State in front, 2-0. It was Vanderford’s 20th career homer, which moved her up to 10th in program history.

The Longhorns (23-9-1, 0-0 Big 12) got back into the game in the top of the third, using two doubles and a groundout to knot the game up at 2-2. Neither team was able to break the tie in the fourth, fifth or sixth innings.

After Parker’s go-ahead score, the hosts needed two runs to keep the game going. Texas State couldn’t get on base in its final three at-bats, though, giving Texas the 4-2 win.

Mullins (9-9) pitched the complete game, allowing nine hits, two walks and four runs, hitting two batters and fanning six.

The Bobcats will hope to turn things around this weekend when they face off with Coastal Carolina (12-14, 1-5 Sun Belt) for a three-game road series beginning Friday at 4 p.m.