Box Score COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In its latest trip to College Station, Texas, the Texas State University softball team put the first run of the game on the scoreboard, but Texas A&M responded with two unanswered as the Bobcats fell, 2-1, to the Aggies on Wednesday night.
ArieAnn Bell, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, recorded the game's first hit by either squad when she lined a 1-0 pitch over the right-centerfield fence in the top of the second. This came after Bobcat starting pitcher
Dalilah Barrera (5-3) fanned two of the three Aggie (17-9) batters she faced the half inning before.
After Barrera tossed her second scoreless inning for Texas State (15-9) in the bottom of the second, Texas A&M broke through in the run column after Kyndall Murray drew a full-count walk to start the bottom of the third followed by a double off the bat of Makinzy Herzog, which scored Murray from first and resulted in Herzog stopped at third after advancing on a throw to the plate.
Following a pitching change that brought
Meagan King into the circle, Morgan Smith drew a walk before Haley Lee struck out. However, it was a one-out seeing-eye single through the left side of the diamond by Jourdyn Campbell that pushed the Aggies ahead.
The following inning, Texas State attempted to rally as
Tara Oltmann drew a leadoff walk, then advanced to second of a sacrifice bunt. However, she was thrown out at third attempting to steal, before Bell reached base for the second time in as many innings with a two-out walk but was stranded there.
Again, Texas State looked in prime position to re-take the lead as the Bobcats had the bases loaded with only one out in the top of the fifth. But a strikeout and flyout to centerfield left the bases full of Bobcats.
Following a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth, Texas State — still trying by a single run — attempted another potential go-ahead rally in the seventh when
Cat Crenek led off the inning with a single back up the middle.
Marisa Cruz, who was called upon to pinch hit, reached on a fielder's choice as Crenek beat the throw to second.
Kylie George advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt.
From there,
Bailee Carter and
Samara Lagway both struck out to end the game and leave the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
Texas State, which won its first Sun Belt Conference series of the season when it took two of three games at Georgia State last week, will return to conference play this weekend when the Bobcats host Coastal Carolina for a three-game, three-day series that begins on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. CT.
