TROY, Ala. – Sara Rupp hit a three-run home run to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth and Randi Rupp went seven complete, allowing a single earned run in leading No. 2 seed Texas State to a 5-2 win over No. 3 seed Georgia Southern in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Championship.
 
The win moves the Bobcats to 40-13 on the season and marks the fifth 40-plus win season in program history – all coming under the direction of head coach Ricci Woodard. Georgia State falls to 34-22 with the loss.
 
R. Rupp earned the win with 7.0 innings in the circle with six strikeouts. She allowed six hits and two runs (one earned) in improving to 26-8 on the season.
 
S. Rupp finished the day 1-for-2 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored. Also collecting hits for the Bobcats were Taylor Webb, Jaelyn Young, Corrina Liscano, Alex Cruz and Bailee Carter (2).
 
Texas State was the first to light up the scoreboard, plating runs in the bottom of the second. Webb doubled to lead off the inning and took third on Young's sac bunt. Liscano then picked up the first TXST RBI of the tournament as she roped Kinsley Jennings' 1-2 pitch off the top of the left field wall for her ninth double of the season. Two batters later the Bobcats doubled their lead to 2-0 as Liscano scored on Carter's bloop single to left.
 
Georgia State cut the Bobcats lead to 2-1 in the fourth with Remington Hasty's line drive solo home run to left.
 
The Bobcats threatened in the fifth as Christiana McDowell reached third and Kimberlin Naivar reached second with two outs. However, GSU's Jennings escaped the jam unscathed with her sixth strikeout of the game.
 
Georgia State tied the game in the sixth, taking advantage of an infield single and two fielding errors. GSU's Kirsten McMonigle led off with a single to second, reached second on a fielding error, then came around to score on a second fielding error on a sharply hit ball by Kensey Caldwell.
 
S. Rupp gave the lead back to the Bobcats in the home half with her first home run of the season and seventh of her career. S. Rupp cleared the bases with her three-run blast to left, scoring Jaclyn Molenaar, who was on to pinch run for Young, and Alex Crux, who had hit a pinch-hit single the batter prior.
 
R. Rupp closed the door on the Panthers in the seventh with a strikeout and two ground outs.
 

The Bobcats are moving on! #2 @TXStateSoftball defeats #3 Georgia State to advance to a semifinal game tomorrow morning.#FunBelt pic.twitter.com/QMKqGu6OlZ

— #FunBelt (@SunBelt) May 11, 2017

?? Game 6 Postgame Press Conference@TXStateSoftball#FunBelt pic.twitter.com/mJIQgCt2ro

— #FunBelt (@SunBelt) May 11, 2017

UP NEXT
Texas State advances to play top-seeded Louisiana in the winner's bracket semifinal Thursday at 10:00 a.m. The winner advances to Saturday's championship game scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
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