LAFAYETTE, La. – The Texas State softball team (40-13, 18-5 SBC) defeated the Troy Trojans (32-25, 14-13 SBC) in the first quarterfinal game of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship at Lamson Park on Thursday morning by a score of 1-0.

"We talk about it all the time around this point in the season," head coach Ricci Woodard said. "We just have to score one more run than our opponent, and that is what we did today. When we have Randi Rupp on the mound, we know we can compete with anybody in the country. She kept us in the game and we did what we had to do offensively to get the win."

Rupp turned in another gem of a performance in the circle for the Bobcats. She went the full 7.0 innings, allowed five hits, three of which came in the first two frames, one walk and no runs. The senior struck out six Trojan batters in the win. Rupp eclipsed Nicole Neuerburg (2001-04) for most career victories (108) at Texas State. The senior now holds the school record in strikeouts, wins and appearances.

Troy's starting pitcher and Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, Annie Willis, held the Bobcat offense in check for the first three innings of play. She allowed just one base runner, a leadoff bunt single from Brianna Sannem in the bottom of the first inning. Sannem ended the game with a pair of base hits in three trips to the batter's box. She retired the next nine Bobcat batters.

Mari Cranek ended the streak in the bottom of the fourth inning with a leadoff triple off the wall in left center field. The next Bobcat batter, Hailey MacKay, lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring Cranek from third with ease. The lone run proved to be the difference in the game for Texas State.

Next up, Texas State will take on host and second-seeded Louisiana for a spot in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship title game. The game is slated for an 11 a.m. first pitch and can be watched on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased here.

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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.