SAN MARCOS, Texas — The streak … is over. Texas State's 18-game winning streak — tied for the longest in program history — ended Friday night when South Alabama became just the second team to win inside Bobcat Softball Stadium during the 2021 season as the Jaguars claimed victory over the Bobcats, 3-1.
"I thought (South Alabama) outplayed us in every category tonight, so they deserved to win the ball game," said Texas State softball head coach
Ricci Woodard. "It's pretty simple when you look at it like that; the team that usually plays the best comes out as the winner."
South Alabama (19-12, 7-4) jumped into the run column first when Caroline Nichols, who collected three of the Jaguars' nine hits on the evening, reached first on an infield single. Nichols then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. She later scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Texas State's
Jessica Mullins (12-3) and South Alabama's Allie Hughen (6-4) then began to match zeros as the duo combined to throw seven consecutive scoreless half-innings, before Belle Wolfenden sent a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a solo home run to extend South Alabama's lead to 2-0.
Texas State, though, did manage a run in the bottom half of the fifth inning when
ArieAnn Bell, who was hit by a pitch during a pinch-hit appearance, scored from third on a bases-loaded fielder's choice off the bat of
Sara Vanderford as
Kylie George beat a throw from shortstop to the second base bag to keep the inning alive. The inning, however, ended four pitches later when
Tara Oltmann popped up to the shortstop.
After striking out eight batters and walking only one in 5.1 innings, Mullins was lifted in the top of the sixth for
Dalilah Barrera, who entered the game with runners on the corners and only one away in the sixth. Following a double that made it 3-1 Jaguars, Barrera went on to strikeout back-to-back batters to end the frame and leave two Jaguars in scoring position.
Texas State had another opportunity to score in the bottom of the sixth when
Cat Crenek doubled a 0-1 pitch to the left-centerfield gap, but back-to-back groundouts left her on second.
The Bobcats went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
Texas State, which started an 18-game winning streak after its previous loss, will look to bounce back into the win column on Saturday, April 10 at 2 p.m. when the two teams square off again.
