TROY, Ala. — ArieAnn Bell and Jessica Mullins weren't named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Conference teams for no reason, and they showed why Wednesday night when the duo was pivotal in Texas State's 2-0 win over Georgia State. 

"I thought we came out a little flat and that's an indication of you playing not to lose — in my opinion — and, like I told the team after the game, we were kind of playing in the same boat as (Georgia State) in that we don't have anything to lose either, so let's just loosen up and play the game," said Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard. 

As a freshly-minted First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, Jessica Mullins (20-6) earned her first conference tournament start in the pitching circle as Texas State's freshman right-hander was penciled into the starting lineup. And she delivered with a seven-inning complete-game shutout. She scattered three hits throughout the game and issued two walks while striking out six. 

"Whenever I took the field, I just knew I had to go out there and do my job, because I knew my team would have my back," Mullins said. "Ultimately, in the end, they did their job and I did mine."

One of Georgia State's hits came on the second pitch of the evening when Emily Brown singled through the left side to start the top of the first. She was erased, however, on a fielder's choice during the next plate appearance, which proceeded back-to-back groundouts to strand a Panther on base. 

Georgia State also had a single baserunner on during the top of the second via a two-out dropped flyball, but nothing came from it. Daisy Hess added to the Panthers' hit total with a leadoff single to start the top of the third, but, following a one-out walk, she was erased on an inning-ending double play as Baylee Lemons fielded a groundball, stepped on third and threw to Hailey MacKay at first. 

Texas State (37-10, 17-6) broke through in the hit column in the bottom of the fourth as Hannah Earls started the Bobcats' second time through the lineup with an infield single. Following two outs, Tara Oltmann attempted to spark a two-out rally as she drew a five-pitch walk, before Sara Vanderford hit her 16th double on the season — which moved her into a four-way tie on the program's single-season doubles list — but a popout to Georgia State's first baseman left Oltmann and Vanderford in scoring position. 

Georgia State managed two baserunners in the top of the fifth inning, including Brown's second hit, but another groundball to Vanderford kept the Panthers out of the run column for another inning. 

Mullins' fifth straight scoreless inning set the stage for Bell to push the Bobcats ahead when she sent a 1-1 pitch well beyond the centerfield fence for a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to give TXST a 1-0 lead. 

"Well, during my first at bat, I was really worked up and not seeing the ball well," said Bell, who now sits one home run shy of tying Katie Ann Trahan (2003-06) for second on the program's all-time home run list. "So, when I went up there during my second at bat, I was focused on seeing the ball deep and just relaxing and it worked out for me."

An inning later, Vanderford, who was named the conference's freshman of the year earlier in the week, added to her single-season RBI total when she scored Piper Randolph from third on a one-out sacrifice fly. It was Vanderford's 43rd RBI on the season, which tied her with Ariel Ortiz (2015) for the sixth-most RBI in a single-season in program history. 

Mullins returned to the circle for the seventh and retired the side in order to seal the win. 

Texas State, with the win, advances to the next round of the tournament to play UTA, which knocked off Troy in eight innings earlier in the day. The two teams will square off at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13.