SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team (28-8, 10-0 SBC) continued its dominant Sun Belt Conference play, defeating South Alabama (19-19, 5-8 SBC) in a pair of games at Bobcat Softball Stadium on Saturday despite some unseasonably cold weather.

GAME 1
TEXAS STATE 1, SOUTH ALABAMA 0 (13 Inn.)

Randi Rupp turned in an incredible outing in game one of the Sun Belt Conference doubleheader. The senior pitcher went the distance, pitching all 13 innings for the Bobcats. She faced 46 Jaguar batters and threw 181 pitches. Rupp sat down 21 USA batters via strikeout, shattering her career-best effort of 15 strikeouts. She allowed just five hits without yielding a run, never allowing a Jaguar base runner to move beyond second base. The victory improves her season record to 17-6 and inches her closer to career win No. 100. Rupp currently sits at 99 wins during her four seasons in the maroon and gold.

On the offensive side, the Bobcats struggled most of the afternoon. South Alabama's pitcher, Devin Brown, controlled the game for most of the contest. She also pitched the entire game for the Jags, going 12.2 innings and throwing 210 pitches. She walked six batters, allowed five hits and struck out half a dozen Bobcat batters.

Texas State finally broke through with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning. Hailey MacKay walked on four straight pitches before stealing second base. Ariel Ortiz drew a full-count walk to give the Cats runners on first and second with two away in the frame. Meagan King was inserted into the game, replacing MacKay at second base as a pinch runner. The freshman sprinted home on a walk off double from Tara Oltmann, giving TXST the 1-0 victory in a three-and-a-half hour pitcher's duel.

GAME 2
TEXAS STATE 4, SOUTH ALABAMA 1

Game two of the day was much quicker and more effective for the Bobcat offense. Texas State struck first in the bottom of the third inning. Kennedy Cline led off the inning with a sharply hit single through the right side of the Jaguar infield. She advanced to second on a fielder error from the right fielder and later advanced to third on an errant pitch. Mari Cranek, TXST's next batter, walked on four pitches and stole second. After Jaclyn Molenaar reached base on a fielder's choice, a play in which Cline was thrown out at home, and a bunt single from Christiana McDowell, the bases were loaded for MacKay. The sophomore hit a hard ground ball through the right side of the infield, scoring both Cranek and Molenaar.

The Cats posted two more runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. Once again it was Cline getting the action started, this time with a leadoff double off the wall in left field. She raced home on an RBI triple from Cranek, her second triple of the season. Cranek darted home to score on an RBI groundout from Molenaar.

South Alabama applied the pressure on King, Texas State's game two starter, in the top of the sixth inning. The Jaguars put the first three batters on base without recording an out. The freshman worked around the bases-loaded jam by getting a sacrifice fly, a ground out and a strike out to end the inning. King pitched her second complete game in as many chances, surrendering one run on two hits and a pair of walks. King struck out four batters in the win.

The lone run yielded by King was the first run that South Alabama had scored on Texas State in over 60 innings of play and also snapped a streak of seven straight scoreless games against the Bobcats. The last time the Jaguars put a run on the board against the Bobcats was a 3-1 Bobcat win back on April 23, 2016.

Next up, Texas State will aim for its third straight series sweep of an SBC foe with game three against South Alabama coming at noon on Sunday back at Bobcat Softball Stadium.

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Senior pitcher Randi Rupp was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award on April 5, 2018. She was selected as one of 10 finalists who were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced earlier this month. Nationwide fan voting has begun to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through May 14. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipient for softball will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Women's College World Series® in Oklahoma City, May 31 through June 6.