SAN MARCOS, Texas — Jessica Mullins had the immediate impact all softball players dream about as the freshman right-handed pitcher threw a seven-inning no-hitter in her college debut as Texas State sweep Abilene Christian, 6-0 and 6-2, Monday afternoon.
Mullins, who graduated from the same high school as
Meagan King — Barbers Hill HS — and wears the same number as former Bobcat great Randi Rupp — No. 4 — became the first freshman pitcher in program history to throw a no-hitter since Rupp no-hit Houston Baptist in a five-inning win on April 15, 2015. Mullins also put her name alongside Rupp as the first freshman pitcher to throw a seven-inning no-hitter since the former All-American did so at ULM on March 23, 2015.
"Mullins is one of those kids who always wants the ball in her hands," said Texas State softball head coach
Ricci Woodard on her freshman who also struck out a career-high 12 batters in her college debut. "You saw that from her today, so she's going to have a little bit of that it-factor to her."
Mullins' 12 strikeouts on the afternoon were one short of
Dalilah Barrera's 13 against Louisville on Feb. 8, 2020 for the most by an active Texas State pitcher. Her 12 did, however, match Barrera's 12 at Georgia State on March 6, 2020 for the second-most by an active Bobcat player.
"She's not afraid to go right at batters. She throws the ball hard and is going to attack hitters," Woodard said. "She's going to have a lot of positive outcomes for herself and the team, because she attacks hitters."
Texas State (2-0) wasted little time giving Mullins run support in the first game as fellow freshman
Baylee Lemons stole home on a double steal with another freshman
Hannah Earls, who swiped second, in the bottom of the second. An inning later,
Tara Oltmann, the team's lone preseason all-conference representative, scored freshman
Piper Randolph from third on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Two innings later,
ArieAnn Bell made it 3-0 Bobcats when she scored from second on an errant throw by the Abilene Christian centerfielder. A batter later, Oltmann plated Randolph on a second sacrifice fly in three innings. Texas State capped its scoring in the game with solo home runs from Lemons and
Sara Vanderford in the bottom of the sixth.
In the second game,
Meagan King (1-0) took over for
Dalilah Barrera during the bottom of the third inning and went the game's final 4.2 innings to earn her 31st career win, which moved her into ninth place on the program's career wins list.
The win came after the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead — courtesy of a two-run home run in the top of the third inning — into the bottom of the fourth when Oltmann tied the game with a two-run home run to left field followed immediately by a solo shot by
Hailey MacKay to push the Bobcats ahead 3-2.
In the fifth inning, Randolph scored her third run on the afternoon when she scored on a fielding error by the ACU shortstop. Vanderford, an inning later, connected with a pitch for a two-run home run to cap the Bobcats' scoring and give Texas State its second win in as many games.
Texas State will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 24 when the Bobcats travel to Austin to play seventh-ranked Texas at 5 p.m.
