SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team (29-8, 11-0 SBC) outlasted a tough South Alabama (19-20, 5-9 SBC) team to earn a hard fought sweep on Sunday afternoon inside Bobcat Softball Stadium, winning by a score of 9-6.

"With both pitchers throwing well over 175 pitches yesterday, we knew that today might play out like it did," head coach Ricci Woodard said. "I am proud of our team's fight throughout the game. I am especially proud of the way that everyone contributed."

Randi Rupp was given the ball to start the game in the circle, but she lasted just 1.1 innings before being pulled in favor of freshman Meagan King. Rupp, shaking off the soreness of a 181-pitch outing in 13 innings of scoreless work on Saturday, allowed four hits and two runs while recording just four outs. She left with the bases loaded in the top of the second frame.

Coach Woodard went to the bullpen, calling King's number. She escaped the bases loaded jam with a strikeout and a foul out, keeping the score at 3-0 in the middle of the second inning.

In the bottom half of the frame, Ariel Ortiz led off the inning with a sharply hit single through the left side of the infield. Tara Oltmann hit a towering home run to dead center field, her second home run of the season. The two-run blast narrowed the South Alabama lead to 3-2.

The Jaguars put two more runs on the board in the top of the fifth inning, both solo home runs from Haleigh Lowe and Brittani Reid to move the visiting team's lead back up to three runs.

Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bobcats trailed 5-2 and were in desperate need of a spark. Oltmann ignited the rally with a single through the middle to leadoff the frame. Haleigh Davis immediately followed with a bloop single in between first base and right field to give the Cats runners on first and second. Two batters later, Brianna Sannem roped a double down the left field line, just beyond the glove of South Alabama's diving third baseman. The hit scored Oltmann from second. Mari Cranek laid down a perfectly placed bunt and sprinted out an infield base hit to load the bases with one out.

The Jaguars went to the bullpen, bringing in Alexis Reid to relieve starter Devin Brown. Reid walked the first two batters she faced in the fifth, Jaclyn Molenaar and Christiana McDowell, to bring two more runs home, the latter tying the game at 5-5. Hailey MacKay hit a deep fly ball to center field, scoring Cranek on a sacrifice fly to give TXST its first lead of the game.

With the inning continuing to its ninth batter, Ortiz dug into the batter's box. She took a 3-2 pitch the other way, singling into right field to plate two more runs. Finally, Oltmann lifted an RBI single into right field, scoring Ortiz to put the Bobcats up 9-5. TXST scored seven runs on seven hits in the inning.

Down to their final three outs, the Jaguars did not fold. Kristian Foster drilled a double down the left field line to score Kaleigh Todd, bringing the margin to three runs. After a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs, coach Woodard called Rupp back into the circle to close the game out. Rupp struck out the final batter looking, leaving the bases loaded.

Next up, Texas State will host Texas in a rematch of a 3-0 loss in Austin earlier this season. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. from Bobcat Softball Stadium. The Bobcats will then hit the road for its first conference road trip since defeating Georgia State in a pair of games to open up SBC play in mid-March. TXST will take on defending conference champion Louisiana in a three game set starting with a doubleheader on Saturday. The series will close with a noon game on Sunday.

For all things Texas State softball, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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.