SAN MARCOS, Texas — The first top 25 matchup at Bobcat Stadium in program history did not disappoint as the freshly-minted 23rd-ranked Texas State Bobcats knocked off No. 25 Texas A&M, 7-6, with a game-ending double from Sara Vanderford that plated Kylie George in the bottom of the seventh.

Tuesday night's win marks the first time since knocking off then-No. 21 Louisiana, 4-0, in Lafayette, Louisiana on April 15, 2018, that the Bobcats, playing as a ranked team itself, beat another ranked team. The win also extends the Bobcats' current winning streak to 18, which ties the program record for the longest winning streak set during the 2001 season. The victory also marked the first time in program history TXST, playing as a ranked team, beat another ranked team at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, Texas. 

"The good thing about this team is we always have a chance to win (the game) in the seventh (inning)," said Texas State softball head coach Ricci Woodard. "We have a really good feeling in our bodies right now and that's a good place to be in.

"Both teams are in a better spot now (than last year), so this game could've gone either way all night. I felt we had the right people up at the right time. To be in this spot this year compared to where we were last year, I couldn't be prouder."

Sara Vanderford, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week this season, got Texas State (25-3, 8-0) in the run column first when the sophomore second baseman hit a one-out double down the left-field line to score Hannah Earls from second in the bottom of the first inning. Hailey MacKay, who hit the game-ending home run against Coastal Carolina on Sunday, added another run when she scored Vanderford two batters later. 

Texas A&M (25-9) answered with a single run in the top of the second on a grounder to Vanderford. 

The 2-1 Bobcat lead stood until the bottom of the third when MacKay hit a one-out, three-run double off the left-centerfield fence. She later scored on a throwing error when Cat Crenek swiped second base during ArieAnn Bell's at bat. 

The Aggies plated another single run in the top half of the fourth when Makinzy Herzong hit a two-out double to right field and scored Morgan Smith from second. The following inning, Texas A&M put up four runs highlighted by a two-run home run from Shaylee Ackerman, before Dani Elder scored on a wild pitch and Marianass Torres scored on a Herzog single to right field. 

The offensive outburst quickly turned into a pitchers' duel as Kayla Poynter (7-2), who entered the pitching circle for Herzog in the bottom of the third, put zeros on the scoreboard while Jessica Mullins (12-2) retired six straight Aggies to set the stage for the bottom of the seventh. 

Kylie George, a former Aggie, led off the home half of the seventh by sending a 1-2 pitch to the shortstop for a base hit. Vanderford, during the next at bat, sent a 1-0 pitch to left field, where the ball got by Ackerman allowing George to round third and score the game-ending run. 

"I read this thing the other day about not making the moment bigger than it has to be," said Vanderford. "So, that was really all that was going through my head. Then the fans got louder, so I went to talk to (Hailey MacKay) and calmed me down and said, 'Don't make the moment bigger than it is; you've been doing this for 17 years of your life."

Texas State will attempt to make history on Friday, April 9 when the Bobcats look for its program-breaking 19th straight win when TXST opens a three-game Sun Belt series with South Alabama.