AUSTIN, Texas — With all eyes on the Austin Regional hoping to see a Texas and Oregon matchup, the Texas State softball program prevented that game — at least for another day — as the Bobcats knocked off No. 10 Oregon, 5-1, Friday night. 

The win marks the first NCAA Regional win for Texas State (39-12) since the Bobcats, then a No. 2 seed, beat then-fourth seeded Sacramento State, 8-4, on May 19, 2018. The TXST win over the Ducks also snapped a 27-game winning streak for Oregon (37-16) in NCAA Regional action dating back to the 2010 season. 

"I've said from the get-go that I've liked this team and all of the pieces of the puzzle they possession and tonight I think they showed everyone those pieces," said Texas State softball head coach Ricci Woodard. "I think they stayed calm and stayed very collective throughout the whole game and that's one of the things I like about them. They just go out and play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

After both teams managed a baserunner in their respective halves of the first inning, it was Texas State which broke into the run column first when senior first baseman Hailey MacKay sent a 1-1 pitch over the centerfield fence for her 24th career home run, which tied MacKay with Leah Boatright (2007-10 for the fourth most in program history over a Bobcat career. MacKay's home run, which followed a Sara Vanderford single up the middle, pushed the Bobcats ahead 2-0.

Fellow Bobcat senior Tara Oltmann extended the Texas State lead to 3-0 with a two-out double an inning later that scored freshman Piper Randolph from first base. 

"You know, a lot of people considered us the underdogs in this game, but I don't think we played like that," Oltmann said. "We just came out swinging. The pitching was phenomenal and I think we just owned the game the whole time as we just kept riding the momentum." 

Oregon got its lone run in the contest to open the bottom of the third inning when Allee Bunker hit a solo home run down the left-field line off Bobcat starting pitcher Jessica Mullins, who responded from the run-scoring hit by striking out the next batter. 

Meagan King (12-4) entered the pitching circle following the next Duck batter and allowed just three hits — all singles — from one out in the bottom of the third through the remainder of the game. King even retired Oregon in order in the bottom of the sixth inning, which was highlighted by two strikeouts. 

"Throughout the game's first few innings, it was all about staying in the game and seeing how (Mullins) was being successful and what she was doing," King said. "I thought it was a really smart idea, because she can throw a really hard ball. So, going with her then letting me come in with my slow stuff was a great little 1-2 punch."

The Texas State offense provided King with a few more insurance runs during her time in the circle as Vanderford was credited with her 17th double on the season, which broke a four-way tie for the third-most double in the program's single-season history, when she hit a pitch to right-centerfield field to score Oltmann, who doubled the previous plate appearance. Vanderford, after working her way to third on a single from MacKay, scored on a wild pitch to cap the evening's score. 

With the win, Texas State advances to face No. 11 Texas for the third time this season with the Longhorns holding a pair of one-run wins over the Bobcats in their hands. The Bobcats and Longhorns will square off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 22.