SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team (24-8, 7-0 SBC) earned two more Sun Belt Conference victories, clipping the Georgia Southern Panthers (21-12, 6-5 SBC) twice at Bobcat Softball Stadium on Friday afternoon. In game one, the Bobcats defeated the Eagles, 6-1 before making a late-inning comeback in game two, winning 5-4.

GAME 1
TEXAS STATE 6, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 1

Senior pitcher Randi Rupp led the way for the Bobcats in game one of the three-game set with the Eagles. She pitched seven innings of one-hit softball. The lone Eagle hit came in the top of the fifth inning, a solo home run to left field. Rupp sat down 14 batters via strikeout, one shy of matching her career-best. In her last two appearances in San Marcos, Rupp has allowed one earned run, one hit and has not issued a walk while striking out 24 batters.

Offensively, Texas State scored all six runs in the first two innings, attacking Georgia Southern's pitching early. Jaclyn Molenaar started the bottom of the first with a four pitch walk. She raced around second and slid safely into third base on a sacrifice bunt from Christiana McDowell. Hailey MacKay then laid down a sacrifice bunt, plating Molenaar from third. MacKay was safe at first on a fielder's choice. The next Bobcat batter, Ariel Ortiz, drove a high fly ball into deep center field, hitting the top of the wall just to the left of the 225' marker and clearing the fence for her fourth home run of the season. Two batters later, Bailee Carter launched a solo home run to right field, her first career home run. Texas State led by four after one inning.

In the bottom of the second inning, Molenaar drew another walk, her second in as many plate appearances. McDowell reached first on an error by the Eagles' second baseman on a sharply hit ball up the middle. Both runners would come around to score on an RBI double from MacKay.

GAME 2
TEXAS STATE 5, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 4

The Eagles struck first in the second game of the double-header, scoring two runs on a towering home run off the bat of Allyssah Mullis, her second home run of the day. Georgia Southern also hit a two-run shot in the top off the fourth inning when Macy Coleman delivered an opposite field shot to left field.

The Bobcats plated its first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning, scoring on a bases-loaded RBI ground out from Sierra Steimel. The Cats plated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, the first coming on a bases-loaded knock from McDowell. Mari Cranek scored moments later on a passed ball to pull the Bobcats within a run, 4-3, in the bottom of the fourth.

Finally, in the bottom of the sixth inning the Bobcats took the lead on a two-out single up the middle from Tara Oltmann. The freshman scored both Brianna Sannem and Molenaar. In the top of the seventh, Rupp entered with two outs and runners on first and second and the Bobcats clinging to a one-run lead. The senior threw five pitches to close out the game, including a changeup to strike out the final GS batter of the game.

Meagan King earned the victory in relief for Texas State. The freshman improves her record to 2-0 on the season after pitching 3.1 innings out of the Bobcat bullpen. She allowed three hits, two coming in the top of the seventh frame, and struck out a pair of batters.

Next up, Texas State will aim for the series sweep of Georgia Southern at noon on Saturday back at Bobcat Softball Stadium.

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