Softball | 3/31/2015 3:25:00 PM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – After coming off a weekend in which it beat the No. 8 team in the nation, the Texas State softball team remains at home this Wednesday for a non-conference single game against Incarnate Word at 6 p.m. Texas State comes into the contest with a 21-15 overall record.
 
The Bobcats won the first game in the Saturday doubleheader against No. 8 UL Lafayette by a score of 14-13. The teams combined for 24 total hits in the first game and Texas State hit four home runs, tying for the most in any game this season. Texas State fell in the final two games of the series by scores of 15-2 and 4-0.
 
A Look At The Competition
Incarnate Word left its Division II status and joined the Southland Conference on July 1st, 2013, making this its second season of competition at the Division I level. 
 
Prior to a doubleheader on Tuesday, Incarnate Word is 3-26 and 0-12 in Southland Conference play. The Cardinals won their season opener against Tennessee State and gained two more wins against Jackson State.
 
Incarnate Word dropped a pair to Lamar, UTSA, and Sun Belt Conference rival, UT Arlington. The Cardinals are currently on a 13-game losing streak.
 
At the plate, the Cardinal offense carries a .231 batting average, only hitting 11 home runs this season. Their opponents have outscored the Cardinals 78 to 212.
 
Sophomore Danielle Ramirez leads the team with a .341 batting average while Alex Alonzo comes in second with a .302 average. Alonzo leads the team with 11 RBI and a .397 on base percentage. Seniors Taylor Johnson and Alex Zepeda lead the team with 17 hits.
 
Kristin Hebert has seen the most action, starting 12 out of her 19 game appearances. Hebert is 2-11 on the season and leads the pitching staff with a 4.95 ERA over 87.2 innings of work. The sophomore from Humble, Texas, also leads the staff with 30 strikeouts. The Cardinal pitching staff has a combined 6.95 ERA.
 
Bobcat Tidbits
Freshman shortstop Ariel Ortiz continued to lead the Bobcats once again this past week, going 8-for-16 from the plate for a .500 batting average that included two home runs and her conference-leading 15th double of the season.
 
Ortiz finished the weekend against No. 8 UL Lafayette with four RBI and a team-high 15 total bases. She also finished with a team-high .688 on base percentage after drawing four walks. She is currently riding on a seven-game hitting streak, the longest of her career, and a 10-game reached base streak.
 
Randi Rupp continues to be dominant in the circle for Texas State as she currently ranks fourth in the nation in strikeouts (192) and first in shutouts (7). She owns a team-leading 15-9 record in the circle for Texas State.
 
The Bobcats are currently eight home runs away from tying the program record for home runs in a season of 53. Kortney Koroll and Kendall Wiley lead the way with eight homers a piece.
 
Upcoming Calendar
The Bobcats continue to have a busy home slate after Wednesday's single game. Friday, the Bobcats will be welcoming the Texas Longhorns for the first game in a home-and-home two game series. First pitch at the Bobcat Softball Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
Game two of the series will take place Saturday afternoon at the Red and Charline McCombs Field at 1 p.m. in Austin.
 
Next week, Texas State will host the Baylor Bears in its annual Strikeout Cancer game. First pitch is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8 and 6 p.m. Along with it being the Strikeout Cancer game, it will also be the first of two games broadcasted on KBVO. The Texas State softball team is selling shirts and hats in honor of Coach Ty Harrington's continuing battle with cancer. Proceeds will be donated on his behalf to the David Gish fund.

For t-shirt and hat information, click here.
 
The second televised game for the Bobcats will be against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on April 22.
 
Final Details
First pitch on Wednesday evening against the Cardinals is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Bobcat Softball Stadium. Live stats, live audio, and live video will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com. For ticket information, please contact 512-245-2272 or view online at www.txstatebobcats.com/tickets.