SAN MARCOS – The Texas State softball team (26-21, 14-8 Sun Belt) attacked early in the count to run-rule the Troy Trojans (35-17, 17-7 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Softball Stadium. The Bobcats tallied six runs in the final two frames to defeat Troy 9-0 in six innings.

KEY MOMENTS
- Sophomore infielder ArieAnn Bell helped the Bobcats jump out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. She hit a screaming line drive to the left field gap to plate a pair of runners. The next Texas State hitter, junior infielder Hailey MacKay scored Bell on a sharply hit single to left.
- The Bobcat offense fell quiet for the better part of the next four innings before the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore infielder Tara Oltmann jumped on the first pitch she saw in the frame and launched a two-run home run over the wall in left center.
- Texas State tacked on the winning four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to walk-off Troy. Senior outfielder Mari Cranek, Bell, and MacKay all came through with run-scoring hits. MacKay delivered the game-winner by way of a single down the left field line to score a pair and bring the game to the final tally of 9-0.
- The pitching staff for the Cats did not face real trouble often but rose to the occasion when needed. Troy left a pair of runners on in the first, third, and fifth innings. All three innings ended with strikeouts.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Junior pitcher Dalilah Barrera (8-4) pitched the first 4.0-plus innings of the game to earn the victory, her eighth of the season. She yielded six base runners in total with only two reaching via hit. She struck out four.
- Sophomore pitcher Meagan King picked up her first save of the season after she entered in relief with no outs in the top of the fifth inning. She spun the next two innings of near-perfect softball. She did not allow a hit and issued one walk. King fanned one batter.
- Each of the first five batters in the lineup picked up at least one hit with Cranek, Bell, and MacKay each collecting multi-hit games. The first five players slated in the original lineup card combined to hit 8-for-13 (.615) with eight runs scored, nine runs batted in, and five walks drawn.
- Texas State finished the ballgame hitting .714 (5-for-7) with runners in scoring position, while Troy failed to pick up a hit in four chances with a scoring threat.

NOTABLES
- Bell reached base a total of three times in the game to continue her on-base streak at 21 games. She finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI, a double, and a walk.
- Oltmann has a team-high 38 runs batted in this season. Her figure ranks No. 11 on the all-time Texas State single-season list. She is two RBI short of becoming the eighth Bobcat hitter to drive in 40-plus runs in a single season.
- The Bobcats have defeated the Trojans in four of the last five meetings between the two schools overall dating back to the 2018 season. Three of the four TXST victories have come in shutout efforts. The nine-run margin of victory marked the largest win over Troy since taking care of business in a 12-0 game on April 29, 2017.

ON DECK
- The Bobcats will look to take the conference series against Troy with the series finale coming at noon on April 28 at Bobcat Softball Stadium. TXST will honor three seniors for Senior Day following the game.

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