SAN MARCOS, TX — The fourth inning of Texas State's 12-0 win over the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) Wednesday night will go down as one of the best in program history.
"In typical coach fashion, I wish they would've spread those (runs) out a little bit throughout the game instead of the one inning where we went big, but that's kind of (how) our sport (works)," said Texas State softball head coach
Ricci Woodard. "If a team can control the damage every inning, it usually wins but that was kind of fun to watch, especially after how we came out and performance during last night's game, too."
After
Jessica Mullins (17-11) and UIW's Aaliyah Garcia (2-9) traded zeroes throughout the game's first three innings — Mullins added her fourth in the top of the frame — the Bobcat offense picked up where it left off following its five-inning win over UTSA on Tuesday night.
Anna Jones picked up Texas State's fourth hit of the game when the first-year Bobcat singled through the right side of the diamond on the second pitch of the bottom of the fourth.
Caitlyn Rogers followed with a two-run home run over the left-field fence, marking the first time in her collegiate career the senior catcher hit a home run in back-to-back games.
Piper Randolph and
Claire Ginder kept the momentum going as the duo recorded back-to-back singles to force a UIW pitching change.
Tori McCann was hit by the first pitch from Lauren Olivarri to load the bases.
Kylie George worked her way back from an 0-2 count to work a six-pitch, bases-loaded walk to score Randolph.
During the next at bat,
Cat Crenek became the first Bobcat softball student-athlete since
Sara Vanderford in the top of the fourth against Houston on Feb. 29, 2022 to hit a grand slam when she sent an 0-1 pitch over the left-field fence to push Texas State (26-17) ahead 7-0.
Ciara Trahan, who became the first true freshman Texas State softball student-athlete to record 40-or-more hits in their first season in San Marcos since
Tara Oltmann in 2018 with a one-out single in the bottom of the third, kept the inning going as she drew a five-pitch walk to force another Cardinal pitching change.
After a Vanderford walk to advance Trahan to second, Jones, again, singled through the right side — to score Trahan — for her second hit of the inning. The Bobcat lead hit double digits when
Piper Randolph cleared the bases with a three-run double to left-centerfield.
A fourth UIW pitching change of the inning proceeded Ginders' second hit of the inning as well.
11 runs, 14 batters and four pitching changes later, Texas State recorded its first out of the bottom of the fourth when
Samara Lagway, who pinch hit for McCann, grounded out to second. But Lagway did manage to score Randolph from third to cap the Bobcats' scoring.
Missy Muras, who pinch hit from George, went on the conclude the nine-hit frame for the Bobcats when she singled a 1-1 pitch to centerfield for her first career collegiate hit.
The 12 runs scored by Texas State in the bottom of the fourth innings marked the most runs scored by the Bobcats in a single inning this season. The single inning run outing was the most by any Texas State softball team since the 2019 team scored 14 in the top of the fourth against Virginia Tech on Feb. 22, 2019.
Texas State, which has won three of its last four games in five-inning run-rule fashion, will look to extend its season-long six-game winning streak when the Bobcats travel to Statesboro, Ga., to play a three-game conference series at Georgia Southern beginning on Friday, April 22 at 5 p.m. CT.
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