TEMPE, Ariz. – The Texas State softball team (5-4) split a pair of games on day two of the Littlewood Classic at Farrington Softball Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University. In game one, the Bobcats took care of North Dakota (3-6), 11-3, in another sixth inning run rule. In game two, the Bobcats gave No. 18 Arizona State (8-1) all it could handle, but fell just short, 4-3, in eight innings.

GAME 1
TEXAS STATE 11, NORTH DAKOTA 3 (6 innings)

Texas State's offense picked up right where it left off from last night's win over the Fighting Hawks, scoring 11 runs on 14 hits. As a team, TXST batted .467 (14-of-30). Nine batters secured at least one hit for the Bobcats, including seven of the nine TXST starters.

North Dakota struggled mightily with the top of the Bobcat lineup. Bailee Carter reached base in each of her four at-bats, collecting three hits and drawing a walk. Carter, the designated player, hit a pair of singles and a triple in the game. She scored three runs, knocked in one run and chipped in a stolen base. Batting second, Brianna Sannem hit safely in all four trips to the plate. All four of her hits were singles. Sannem scored two runs, added one RBI and scored a pair of runs.

McKenna Fryar pitched five scoreless innings in relief of starting pitcher Krista Jacobs. Fryar entered the game in the second inning after Jacobs walked the first two batters of the frame. Fryar allowed a hit to the first batter she faced, loading the bases with no outs. She worked around the jam, striking out a pair of batters leaving the second inning unscathed. In total she struck out five batters, did not issue a walk and allowed just three hits. The win is the first of Fryar's collegiate career.

The Bobcats thrived in situational offense, batting .522 (12-of-23) with runners on base, .563 (9-of-16) with runners in scoring position and .692 (9-of-13) with two outs. On the flip side, the Fighting Hawks hit just .200 (2-of-10) with runners on and .250 (2-of-8) with runners in scoring position.

GAME2
ARIZONA STATE 4, TEXAS STATE 3 (8 innings)

Randi Rupp received the nod in the circle for the marquee matchup of the tournament, squaring off with No. 18 Arizona State. The senior pitcher gave up two runs within the first three batters of the game, but was spectacular the rest of the way. Over the last six-plus frames, Rupp yielded just three hits and three walks while striking out eight Sun Devil batters. In total, she k'ed 10 batters and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits.

The Bobcats scored first in the game when Ariel Ortiz plated Kourtney Pock on a foul out to right field. The lead was short lived as the Sun Devils put two on the board in the bottom half of the frame on a two-RBI single.

Texas State tied it up in the fourth on a solo shot from Hailey MacKay, her fourth of the season. Neither offense gained much traction for the remaining three innings of regulation.

In the eighth, with the international tie-break rule in effect, Bailee Carter was placed on second base. She came around to score on a Tara Oltmann fielder's choice single, giving the Bobcats a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

Arizona State immediately scored the tying run in the eighth on a bunt single and error by the Bobcat defense. After a walk, the Sun Devils delivered the knockout blow, an RBI double. The Devils won the game, 4-3.

The Bobcats will be back in action tomorrow afternoon against San Diego to wrap of the Littliewood Classic for Texas State. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m.

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