PHOENIX, Ariz. – A late rally in the bottom of the sixth inning wasn't enough as the Texas State softball team dropped the final game of the Grand Canyon Invitational to Northern Illinois by a score of 8-6 Sunday afternoon. The Bobcats took a 6-5 lead after six innings but gave up three runs in the seventh as Northern Illinois dropped Texas State to 11-5 overall this season.
 
The Texas State offense returned Sunday afternoon after struggling Saturday. The Bobcats recorded 10 hits including three each by Kelli Baker and Ariel Ortiz.
 
Three up, three down in the top of the first for the Northern Illinois brought Texas State up to the plate tied 0-0. With two outs in the bottom half of the first, the Bobcats strung together a single by Ortiz and back-to-back walks by Corrina Liscano and Taylor Webb to load the bases. A ground ball to the shortstop by Kendall Wiley resulted in an interference call on Liscano to end the inning.
 
A single to lead off the bottom of the second inning by Kimberlin Naivar sparked three total hits in the inning. Naivar moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sara Rupp, but was the second registered out of the inning during the next at bat as she attempted to steal third. With back-to-back singles by Bianca Prado and Baker, the 'Cats had runners on the corners with two outs. Northern Illinois got out of the jam by forcing a ground out to end the inning.
 
A two-run home run in the top of the third inning for Northern Illinois gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead over Texas State.
 
The Bobcats got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third with the help of an RBI triple to center field by Baker to score Prado. Prado reached on a fielder's choice prior to scoring on Baker's triple. Baker now has a team-high two triples this season.
 
Four hits by the Huskies in the top of the fifth inning resulted in three runs to give Northern Illinois a 5-1 advantage over the Bobcats.
 
A lead-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning by Kimberlin Naivar ignited a five run inning for Texas State. The Bobcats drew six walks in the inning by the Huskies pitching staff while registering a pair of hits. Baker recorded the other hit in the inning for her third of the day.
 
The Bobcat lead didn't last for long as Northern Illinois capitalized on back-to-back walks to start the inning. Three hits and two walks resulted in three runs for the Huskies as they took over the lead from Texas State.
 
Baker and Naivar finished the day leading the team with two RBIs each and the Bobcat line-up drew nine walks by the Northern Illinois pitching staff.
 
Texas State returns home for a single non-conference game against Texas Wednesday evening. First pitch against the Longhorns is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Bobcat Softball Stadium. Fans are encouraged to wear GOLD as the Bobcats will be wearing gold laces for the Go 4 The Goal, Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer campaign. Help the Bobcats raise donations to help kids with cancer achieve their goals.