SAN MARCOS, TX — The Texas State softball program extended the nation's fourth-longest winning streak to double figures (10) Friday night, when the Bobcats took the first contest of a three-game series from Troy, 5-1.
Jessica Mullins (21-11) opened the game with the first of her nine strikeouts, when she set down Kelly Horne looking on four pitches. The strikeout was the 200th on the season for the sophomore right-hander, who became the first Texas State softball student-athlete to reach the milestone since Randi Rupp fanned 317 throughout the 2018 season.
The win Friday night also marked the 30th on the season for the Bobcats, giving 22-year veteran head coach
Ricci Woodard her 16th season of 30-or-more wins at the helm of the Texas State softball program.
"I think any time you can draw six walks and seven hits on the day, you should probably win that ballgame," Woodard said. "But I just liked the overall feel and energy within our team from the start to the finish of tonight's game."
Following a two-strikeout top of the first inning from Mullins, the Texas State offense continued its productive plate appearances as the Bobcats went on to score the game's first run in the bottom of the first off singles from
Hannah Earls and
Anna Jones.
Earls, who bats lead off for the Bobcats, started the frame with an infield single, before stealing second during
Ciara Trahan's at bat. Two batters later, Earls came around to score when Jones sent the first pitch she saw into left field for a single.
Now with a one-run lead, Mullins returned to the pitching circle and added two more strikeouts to her total in the top of the second. Audra Thompson became the Trojans' first baserunner of the night when she singled a 2-0 pitch into left field for a two-out hit. However, she was called out for leaving first base early during a pitch to Kennedi Gaton.
Mullins went on to retire the next 12 consecutive Troy batters over the course of the game's next four innings, before
Karsen Pierce entered the circle to start the top of the seventh with a five-run lead.
The Bobcat lead was extended to 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out, bases-clearing double off the bat of
Caitlyn Rogers that sailed over the head of Troy left fielder Taylor McKinney and rattled against the wall. An inning later,
Tori McCann, who led off the inning with a double then advanced to third on a wild pitch, scored from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Claire Ginder.
After Pierce walked the first two batters in the seventh, Mullins, the reigning two-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, returned to the circle to cap a scoreless seven-inning performance.
Texas State (30-17, 14-8) will look for its third consecutive Sun Belt Conference series win when the Bobcats and Trojans (27-16, 13-9) return to action on Saturday, April 30 at 2 p.m. CT.
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