SAN MARCOS, Texas — Sunday's 5-2 win for Texas State over Houston not only pushed the Bobcats' win total to double-digits, but it also gave the program its first three-game sweep of the Cougars.
"I told the team after the game just how proud I am of them for how they performed today," said Texas State softball head coach
Ricci Woodard, whose team doubled its all-time wins over Houston in games played in San Marcos from three to six following the weekend. "It's been a long week, because that mid-week trip to Texas Tech was brutal on us. I think the way they came out today being a Sunday and the third game of the series and playing well the last two days, I wasn't really sure how today would go.
"To be able to hang and do what we did the last two innings, it tells me a lot about the kinds of players I have on this team."
Like it did in the first two games of the series, the Texas State (10-3) offense struck first when
Sara Vanderford planted a 1-2 pitch well beyond the left-field fence to give the Bobcats a 1-0.
Houston (7-9) answered back in the top of the second when Britaney Shaw, who led off the inning with a single to left field, tagged up from third on a sacrifice fly from Kati Ray Brown.
Jessica Mullins, following the sacrifice fly, kept the Cougar offense at bay as she scattered three hits over 3.1 innings of relief for starter
Dalilah Barrera.
Tori McCann (3-0) entered the pitching circle with two outs in the bottom of the fifth after the Cougars had runners at the corners. She retired Shaw on the first pitch to end the scoring threat.
In the bottom half of the fifth inning, the Bobcats capitalized on back-to-back Houston throwing errors as
Marisa Cruz, who entered the game as a pinch-runner for
Baylee Lemons after she drew an inning-opening walk, scored from second.
Piper Randolph, who also entered as a pinch-runner, extended the Bobcat lead when her and
Hannah Earls executed a double-steal as Earls went to second and Randolph going home.
Houston responded with a single run the following inning when Bethany Busch stole third, then advanced home on a Bobcat throwing error.
Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Lemons provided some insurance runs for Texas State when she singled a 1-0 pitch through the right side to score
Sydney Belvin and
Cat Crenek from third and second, respectively.
McCann closed the door on Houston in the top of the seventh on just eight pitches.
Texas State will play a four-game-in-four-day stretch next week when the Bobcats play Sam Houston State (Wednesday), BYU (Thursday) and UTSA (Friday, Saturday).
