Box Score MOBILE, Ala. — For seven of Friday night's eight innings,
Jessica Mullins was on cruise control, but her career-high 13 strikeouts weren't enough as South Alabama outlasted Texas State, 2-1, in eight innings.
Right from the get-go, Mullins (8-8) was locked in as the sophomore had already recorded a pair of punch outs through the game's first inning. She added two more in the second inning, before recording all three outs in the third via strikeout. By the end of the fourth inning, Mullins had struck out eight South Alabama (11-13, 4-0) batters, matching her season high against a conference opponent.
Mullins matched her career high against a Sun Belt opponent in the bottom of the fifth, before reaching double digits with a pair in the bottom of the sixth. Two more strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Mullins 13 on the night and a new career high regardless of opponent.
Mullins' 13 strikeouts were the most by a Texas State softball student-athlete since
Dalilah Barrera had 13 against Louisville on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. Barrera was also the last Bobcat to strikeout 12-or-more batters in a conference game when she fanned 12 at Georgia State on Friday, March 6, 2020.
The 13 strikeouts by Mullins Friday night were the most by a Bobcat in a regular-season conference game since Randi Rupp had 21 in a 13-inning marathon against South Alabama on Saturday, April 7, 2018.
Mullins and South Alabama's Olivia Lackie (6-3) matched zeros in the run column for the game's first five innings until
Hannah Earls, who recorded two of the Bobcats' three hits on the evening, scored on a groundball off the bat of
Tori McCann, who pinch hit for
Ciara Trahan with one away in the frame.
It took until the bottom of the seventh for South Alabama to find any success off Mullins as the Jaguars managed to score the game-tying run with a two-out double to the left-centerfield gap. Mullins responded with a three-pitch strikeout to send the game into extra innings.
In the bottom half of the eighth inning, South Alabama strung together back-to-back hits to open the frame. A wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position before a walk loaded the bases.
A six-pitch at bat followed and resulted in a game-ending, bases-loaded walk.
The two teams will return to Jaguar Field on Saturday, March 19 at 2 p.m. CT for the middle game of the three-game series.
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