Texas State wins 10th in a row with 5-1 victory over Troy

Steven Trout owes Ricci Woodard.

In the second weekend of April, both head coaches saw their teams drop a three-game series — Woodard’s softball team falling to Louisiana-Monroe on the road and Trout’s baseball team losing its first series of the season to Georgia Southern at home. The two coaches texted one another afterward, encouraging the other to get on a roll.

Both programs followed through, each side winning nine in a row over the next two weeks. As the victories piled up, Trout and Woodard made a bet with each other to see who could keep their win streak going the longest.

The baseball team’s streak came to an end on Tuesday in a 14-8 road loss to UTSA. Woodard won the bet on Friday, leading the softball team to a 5-1 win inside Bobcat Softball Stadium.

“I think anytime you get six walks and seven hits on the day, you should probably win that ballgame,” Woodard said. “But I just like the overall feel and the energy of the entire day from start to finish with this entire team.”

Both teams entered the game knowing they’d be up against some of the top arms in the Sun Belt. Texas State sophomore ace Jessica Mullins ranked third in the conference with a 1.95 ERA. Troy junior starting pitcher Leanna Johnson ranked second with a 1.90 ERA.

To Woodard, it made the matchup that much more fun.

“I think both of us were looking forward to this battle to see who was gonna win the battle,” Woodard said. “And it was a matter of which pitcher was going to make some mistakes and which one was going to carry the ball all the way through. And obviously, you know, Mullins won that one today.”

The Trojans blinked first. After Mullins retired the side in order in the top of the first, sophomore shortstop Hannah Earls led off the bottom frame by slapping for a base hit. She stole second in the next at-bat and sophomore designated player Anna Jones brought her home with an RBI single to left field.

Neither team scored over the next three innings as both pitchers got settled in the circle. The hosts broke through again in the bottom of the fifth. Earls and freshman left fielder Ciara Trahan led off with a pair of walks. Junior third baseman Sara Vanderford hit into a fielder’s choice, with Earls getting tagged out at third. Jones drew another walk, loading the bases for the Bobcats with two outs.

Senior catcher Caitlyn Rogers followed it up with a double to left field, bringing all three runners across and breaking the game open for Texas State, 4-0.

“I just had a two-strike count and I was just trying to protect the plate and also stay down in the zone,” Rogers said. “So just strike something back up the middle to score somebody.”

Mullins sat the visitors down in order again in the top of the sixth. Junior first baseman Tori McCann added an insurance run in the next frame, swinging for a double, advancing to third base on a wild pitch and scoring on a sacrifice fly from sophomore second baseman Claire Ginder.

Earls drew another walk later in the inning but was left stranded. She finished the night getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, tallying two hits.

“I think, again, that's just a kid that's been way more aggressive early in her at-bats and I think it's paying off for her,” Woodard said. “But she's actually been working at perfecting that chop and you know, when she puts the ball on the ground, she's a hard person to get out. So it's been fun to watch her the last few weeks.”

Woodard sent out sophomore right-handed pitcher Karsen Pierce to close the seventh inning but went back to Mullins after Troy led off with a pair of walks. Mullins surrendered a single, allowing the Trojans to plate one runner, but got the final two outs of the game for the 5-1 victory.

Mullins (21-11) received the win, finishing the night allowing just two hits, no walks and no earned runs while striking out nine. What was working well for her during the pitchers’ duel?

“Everything,” Rogers said, speaking from her perspective behind the plate.

“Good answer,” Woodard said, listening in from a few feet away.

Texas State (30-17, 14-8 Sun Belt) has now won at least 30 games in a season 16 times under Woodard. Trout said he’ll likely treat Woodard and her staff out to lunch to pay off his debt.

The team will look to extend its winning streak, facing Troy (27-16, 13-9) again on Saturday at 2 p.m. and on Sunday at noon.

“I think everybody's contributing and everybody's just trying to find a way to get on base and find a way to score people and sacrifice each other in any way possible,” Rogers said. “So (we’re) just literally working together.”