SAN MARCOS, TX — All Jessica Mullins needed was one more out to give her offense an opportunity in a tied ball game. But, instead, Texas' McKenzie Parker sent the first pitch of her seventh inning at bat over the centerfield fence for a two-run home run that provided the difference in the Bobcats' 4-2 loss to the No. 23 Longhorns Wednesday night. 

"I thought we competed well tonight," said Texas State softball head coach Ricci Woodard. "(Texas) executed late in the game and we didn't. We left a runner in scoring position, and we could've scored earlier in the game, but those are just the breaks of the game.

"We must keep battling and keep going at it and fight through the process day after day. But I agree 100 percent, I like this team and the way they competed tonight. We just didn't come up with some hits when we needed them."

Texas State (14-13) wasted no time getting Mullins (9-9) a lead against Texas on the evening, though. After Hannah Earls broke up the Longhorns' no-hitter on the first pitch of the game with an infield single and Ciara Trahan flied out to centerfield, the Bobcats' All-Conference performer Sara Vanderford blasted a 1-1 pitch from Estelle Czech over the left-field fence for a two-run home run. 

The hit was Vanderford's team-leading fifth home run on the season and pushed her RBI total to 21 on the year. The home run was also the junior's 20th career blast, which broke a tie with Kortney Koroll (2014-15) for the 10th most home runs in a career in program history. 

Texas, as it has done so many times this season, battled take and found a way to tie the game in the top of the third inning off back-to-back, one-out doubles from Janae Jefferson and Mia Scott. After Jefferson scored on Scott's double, Scott scored on a Parker grounder to second. 

Texas State had an opportunity to re-take the lead from the Longhorns (23-9-1) in the bottom of the fourth inning. Piper Randolph led off the frame by drawing a full-court walk, then stole second during Samara Lagway's plate appearance. Caitlyn Rogers moved the speeding sophomore to third on a sacrifice bunt, but a strikeout looking left Randolph in scoring position. 

Texas appeared poised to take the lead in the top of the sixth, when the first two Longhorn batters reached. But a fielder's choice erased the lead runner going to third, then an infield fly to Vanderford and a flyout to Trahan in left kept the Longhorns out of the run column. 

Mullins retired the first two Texas batters on just four pitches to start the top of the seventh, then a five-pitch walk to Scott proceeded a first-pitch home run from Parker to push the Longhorns ahead by a pair of runs. The Bobcat sophomore pitcher ultimately ended the frame with her sixth strikeout on the evening. 

Woodard tried to find a seventh-inning spark by sending the Sun Belt's leading hitter Cat Crenek to plate, as well as power hitter Dani Elder, but Texas' Hailey Dolcini (9-3) set Texas State down in order to close the game. 

Texas State now turns its attention back to conference play as the Bobcats travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., this weekend to plate Coastal Carolina (12-14, 1-5) in a three-game, three-day series starting on Friday, March 25 at 4 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT. 

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