ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas State softball team (28-21, 16-8 Sun Belt) hung a four-spot on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning to complete a comeback victory over the UT Arlington Mavericks (27-24, 15-10 Sun Belt) on Thursday evening at Allan Saxe Field. The start time of the game was delayed 1:47 due to lightning in the area.

KEY MOMENTS
- UT Arlington strung together three consecutive two-out singles to plate the opening run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Junior infielder Aileen Garcia delivered the RBI hit with a sharply hit single to left field.
- The Bobcats put the first two runners of the top of the fourth inning on base via hit and a hit-by-pitch. Junior infielder Bailee Carter cashed in on the opportunity to tie the game. She pounced on the first pitch she saw and deposited an RBI double into shallow left.
- Junior infielder Melanie Mendoza cracked her second home run of the season to left in the bottom of the fourth inning to answer the Bobcat run. The solo shot came with two away in the frame.
- Junior infielder Hailey MacKay came through in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at two runs apiece. She launched her fourth home run of the season into deep center field.  
- Freshman pitch hitter Cassie Valdez delivered the biggest hit of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Down to her last strike, Valdez roped a double off the wall in left to clear the bases and give Texas State a 5-2 lead.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Junior pitcher Dalilah Barrera (9-4) earned the victory in a relief role for Texas State. She pitched the final 3.0 innings of the game and allowed two hits. She walked one Mav hitter and fanned a trio of batters.
- Carter paced the Bobcat offense with two hits in three trips to the plate. She notched one double, one RBI, and one run scored in the game.
- The first six hits of the game for UT Arlington came with two outs in an inning. Both runs tallied by the home team came with two outs. UTA hit 6-for-13 (.462) with two away in the game, while TXST went 1-for-8 (.125) in the same situation.
- Head coach Ricci Woodard sent two pinch hitters to the plate in the game. Freshman Cat Crenek drew a walk in the top of the seventh to set the stage for the late-game heroics of Valdez, a pinch hitter.

NOTABLES
- The victory gives Texas State a 63-62 advantage in the all-time series between the two clubs. The Bobcats have amassed a record of 20-6 against the Mavs dating back to May 12, 2011.
- UT Arlington beat Texas State to the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the first inning. The triumph is the fourth for Texas State after yielding a run in the first inning and the fourth in 18 tries when the opponent strikes first.
- The towering drive hit by MacKay in the top of the seventh inning marked the 18th games this season the Bobcats have connected on at least one home run. TXST is 13-5 in those games.
- Texas State entered the contest with a 1-14 record in games in which the Bobcats trailed after six complete innings. The lone victory came at UTSA on April 10. The Cats put up a six spot in the top of the seventh to complete the comeback victory over the Roadrunners.
- Freshman designated player Samara Lagway recorded a sharply hit single down the left field line in the top of the third inning to extend her hit streak to three games. The streak is the longest of her young career in the Maroon and Gold.

ON DECK
- Texas State will square off with UT Arlington in game two of the three-game set at 5 p.m. on May 3 at Allan Saxe Field.

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