SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State started the second day of the Hampton Inn and Suites Tournament with a bang and carried it all the way to an impressive 15-6 victory over Sam Houston State. The Bobcats kept the hits rolling in the second game with seven more, but Pittsburgh prevailed, 11-6.
 
After freshmen Ariel Ortiz and Randi Rupp had impressive debuts, another freshman got in on the action. Isabelle Barnes went a perfect 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI on the day. After her, it was a senior that had a standout day. Courtney Harris went 4-for-5, scoring four runs with three RBI. Seven other Bobcats finished the day hitting .300 or better.
 
Ortiz started the day with a leadoff home run on the second pitch of the day to give Texas State a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Sam Houston State pushed a runner all the way to third but the Bobcat defense held the Bearkats scoreless in the inning.
 
Sam Houston State was able to answer in the bottom of the second inning though, going on top, 2-1, with a two-run homer.
 
In the third inning, the Bobcats started stacking up hits when Kortney Koroll, Harris, Bianca Prado and Lexi Fryar all hit consecutive singles to score a run for Texas State and tie the game, 2-2. Later, with the bases loaded again, Kimberlin Naivar struck a double to left field to score two more and make it 4-2 in favor of Texas State.
 
The Bearkats responded with a two-run inning of their own to tie the game, 4-4, after three innings of play. The tie wouldn't hold, however, as Texas State scored three runs in the top of the fourth. The Bobcats knocked three hits and took advantage of an SHSU error to go up, 7-4.
 
Fryar knocked in an RBI with a single to left centerfield and Katie Doerre, pinch hitting, followed with a two-RBI single to left center. After a Sam Houston State run in the bottom of the fourth, the Bobcats added two runs on one hit in the fifth to push the Texas State lead to 9-5.
 
Sam Houston State was able to score a run in the bottom of the fifth with a home run, but Texas State tallied six runs in the seventh to ensure a victory. Barnes knocked her three-run homer in the inning to put TXST up 15-6. It was too much for the Bearkats to overcome.
 
The Bobcat bats continued to stay hot into the next game. After a home run and four walks in the first game of the day, Ortiz knocked a leadoff double in the second game against Pittsburgh. Shortly after, Koroll knocked what may have been the farthest home run of the season so far, straight out to centerfield. The two-run roundtripper put the Bobcats up 2-0 in the first.
 
Pittsburgh answered in the top of the second inning with a two-run homer as well, tying the game, 2-2. The Panthers were able to add one more run to take a 3-2 lead before the inning was over.
 
In the top of the fourth, Pittsburgh expanded the lead to 6-2 with three runs, all of which scored on two home runs. The Bobcats, however, were quick to answer with four runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, 6-6. After two walks to open the bottom of the inning, a single from Barnes scored one run. Later, Fryar pushed two runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and Doerre completed the plan with a two-RBI triple. Doerre would tie the game on an opportunistic play when she scored on a passed ball.
 
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, Pittsburgh answered with two runs in the top of the fifth inning and scored three more on a home run in the top of the seventh. It proved to be too much for the Bobcats to overcome.
 
Texas State will finish the Hampton Inn and Suites Tournament Sunday with a game against Northern Illinois at 11 a.m.