CONWAY, S.C. – Texas State softball opened Sun Belt Conference play with a road doubleheader sweep of league newcomer Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
 
Texas State took game one 3-0 behind another solid outing in the circle by Randi Rupp, while the Bobcat lineup collected 10 hits and three runs against CCU's Taylor Rahach, who had entered the day eighth in the NCAA in shutouts.
 
In game two the Bobcats scored a 5-4 win in extra innings. With the game tied in the eighth, two Coastal infield errors allowed TXST the eventual winning runs to cross the plate.
 
The wins improve Texas State to 16-4 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt play, while Coastal Carolina falls to 19-5 (0-2 Sun Belt).
 
Game One Recap
 
An Ariel Ortiz sac fly and a Haleigh Davis two-run single were more than enough run support as Randi Rupp silenced the Coastal Carolina lineup, leading the Bobcats to a 3-0 win in the Sun Belt opener for both squads.
 
The Bobcat win snapped the Chanticleers', who received a vote in the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, 12-game win streak.
 
Rupp pitched the complete game shutout to improve to 10-2 on the season. She finished with nine strikeouts, upping her season total to 104, to go along with six fly ball out and five ground outs. The junior limited the Chanticleers to 1-for-9 with runners on base and just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
 
Ortiz led the Bobcats at the plate with a 3-for-3 effort, notching two doubles and a single. Davis and Christiana McDowell had two hits apiece as TXST hit safely five times with runners on base.
 
Coastal threatened in the home half of the second as Timi Tooley drew a leadoff walk, stole second and was singled to third with one out. However, Rupp came back with a strikeout and a can of corn to left to escape the inning unscathed.
 
Ortiz gave the Bobcats a 1-0 lead in the third with a deep sacrifice fly to left that plated Kimberlin Naivar, who had singled then advanced to third on a McDowell double to right field. Davis made it 3-0 in the Bobcats favor in the fourth with a two RBI single. Taylor Webb drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Liscano's bunt single. Kennedy Cline moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, setting up Davis' fourth and fifth RBI of the season.
 
Rupp allowed only two Chanticleers to reach first through the final four frames after being spotted the 3-0 advantage.
 
Rahach (8-3) suffered the loss in the circle, surrendering all three of TXST's runs and 10 hits.
 
Game Two Recap
 
Texas State scored two runs on Coastal Carolina errors in the top of the eight to defeat the Chanticleers 5-4.
 
Jaelyn Young and Davis each finished the contest with two hits to pace TXST. Amanda Daneker picked up two base knocks, including a solo homer in the eighth, to lead Coastal.
 
Texas State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Young's single to left center. Naivar, who had led off the game with a single back up the middle, scored from second.
 
Ortiz pushed the Bobcats ahead 3-0 in the third with her seventh home run of the season. The junior sent Ashley Guillette's offering over the left-field wall to score Naivar and collect her 19th and 20th RBI of the season.
 
Coastal's Taty Forbes, who entered the day hitting .439, singled with two out in the third and stole second. But once again, Rupp stranded the Chanticleer baserunner with an inning-ending strikeout.
 
The Bobcats loaded the bases with two out in the fourth, but CCU's Guillette escaped the jam with her eighth strikeout of the contest. In the bottom of the inning Coastal's Kassidy Smith tied the game with her three-run homer to left center. TImi Tooley hit a bloop single to right and Kailey Mellen was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for Smith.
 
In the TXST fifth Ortiz led off with a walk and Young followed with a double down the right-field line to put both runners in scoring position with no outs.  However, Guillette would not surrender the go-ahead run as she came back to strike out the side.
 
Charleston come on in relief of Rupp in the fifth and promptly sat all three Chanticleers she faced on down on strikes. Coastal loaded the bases in the sixth with one out, but Charleston induced ground ball that was turned into a force out at home and followed with a strikeout to keep the game level at three heading into the seventh.
 
After a scoreless seventh, Davis led off the Bobcat seventh with a single through the left side. Pinch runner Jaclyn Molenaar then advanced to second on Carter's sac bunt. Molenaar came around to score three pitches later on a CCU throwing error on a batted ball by Naivar. Naivar made it 5-3 in the Bobcats' favor as she scored on a fielding error by the Coastal second baseman.
 
Daneker led off the bottom of the eight with a solo homer to center field, but Coastal would not get the potential tying run in scoring position as Charleston got Adriana Toro to pop up to second and end the game.
 
Charleston earned the win, pitching four innings with five strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the year.
 
CCU's Guillette did not factor into the decision despite registering 12 strikeouts. Devin Wallace took the loss, falling to 6-1 overall.
 
UP NEXT
Texas State and Coastal Carolina conclude the three-game series with a single game Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CT).
 
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