SAN MARCOS, TX — The hits were scarce for both Baylor and Texas State, but it was the Bears that managed to string together just enough to win, 3-0, over the Bobcats Wednesday night.
"We are just not competing the way we need to compete," said Texas State softball head coach
Ricci Woodard. "I just don't get the feeling there's a competitive bone in our bodies right now, so we have to figure that quickly."
Baylor's McKenzie Wilson opened the contest with the game's first hit when she sent a 3-2 pitch from
Jessica Mullins (8-7) to the right-centerfield gap for a double. Taylor Strain followed with a bunt single to put Bears at the corners early. Mullins responded with three consecutive outs, but Wilson scored from third on the first one when Sydney Collazos grounded out to
Hannah Earls at shortstop.
Texas State (13-10) attempted to answer in the bottom half of the frame when
Cat Crenek singled by to Baylor starting pitcher Dariana Orme (4-6) with one out. She moved into scoring position when Orme threw a wild pitch to
Sara Vanderford. However, Crenek was stranded at second following back-to-back outs.
Baylor (13-9) added a single run in the top of the third when Collazos, again, drove in a run from third base — this time Kaci West, who led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a fielder's choice then to third of a sacrifice bunt — with a grounder to Earls for an out.
The Bobcats had a running in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth after
Anna Jones reached first via a fielder's choice. She advanced to second on a passed ball but was ultimately left in scoring position following a groundout off the bat of
Claire Ginder.
Like the third inning, West, during her next plate appearance, led off a Baylor half of an inning with a hit. This time, however, it was a solo home run over the left field fence to start the fifth and extend to Bear lead to three runs.
Earls became the fourth different baserunner for the Bobcats — Crenek in the first, Vanderford and Jones in the third — on the night when she reached first on a two-out throwing error in the bottom of the fifth.
Texas State's best scoring opportunity, however, came the following inning as
Ciara Trahan and Crenek opened the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles. Trahan was erased attempting to advance to third on a fielder's choice off the bat of Jones. But Crenek and Jones both advanced into scoring position following a two-out wild pitch. But a called strike three ended the inning before either touched home plate.
Texas State will return to action on Friday, March 18, when the Bobcats open their second Sun Belt Conference series on the season at South Alabama. The three-game, three-day series begins at 6 p.m. Friday night.
FOLLOW US
For the latest information on the team, follow @TXStateSoftball on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be at @TxStateBobcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
