SAN MARCOS, Texas – Ariel Ortiz hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth and Randi Rupp struck out 13 as Texas State defeated Appalachian State 4-1 Sunday afternoon.
 
The win, which swept the series with the Mountaineers, is the Bobcats seventh straight and improves the squad to 20-4 overall and 5-0 in Sun Belt play.
 
Ortiz finishes the series with three three-run homers and 11 total RBI, while teammate Corrina Liscano went 5-for-8 at the plate with four doubles.
 
Rupp (12-2) earned the win in the circle, going the full 8.0 innings while limiting the Mountaineer hitters to four hits and an unearned run. Rupp's 13 strikeouts marked the fifth time in 17 appearances that she has stuck out at least 10.
 
App. State (11-12, 0-3 Sun Belt) scored one run in the second inning to take its first lead of the series. Natalie Orcutt singled to right field, advanced to second on Sidney Russell's single up the middle, then came around to score on a Bobcat throwing error from the outfield. Rupp responded with her fifth strikeout of the game to end the inning and strand a Mountaineer at second.
 
Texas State immediately answered with the tying run in the home half of the second. Taylor Webb was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, took second on a Corinna Liscano sacrifice bunt and moved to third on Haleigh Davis' single to left-center. Webb came home to tie the game on Kennedy Cline's sacrifice bunt down the third-base line.
 
Liscano hit her fourth double of the season in the fourth inning with two outs. The senior looked to be headed home on a well-hit ball by Davis, but Russell, App. State's shortstop, made a snow-cone grab in shallow left for the third out.


Cline led off the Bobcat fifth with a hit-by-pitch, eventually moving to third and a sacrifice bunt and ground out to second. However, Kenzie Longanecker stranded Cline 60 feet away and kept the game tied 1-1 with her second strikeout of the game.
 
App. State's Keri White led off the eighth with a bunt single before being bunted over to second. But, Rupp would keep White at second as she sat down the next two Mountaineers she faced with a strikeout and ground ball to third base.
 
Bailee Carter led off the Bobcats' eighth with a single and was bunted to second by Naivar. Christiana McDowell laid down a bunt single directly in front of the plate to move Carter to third. Ortiz then came to the plate and worked the count to 3-1 before delivering her second walk-off and team-leading 10th home run of the season
 
The Mountaineer's Longanecker (7-4) suffered the loss, giving up all four Bobcats runs, while striking out three in 7.1 innings.


 
UP NEXT
Texas State travels to Houston to take on Southern University in a nonconference doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The two games will be played at Houston Baptist University's Husky Stadium.
 
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