ARLINGTON, TX — Coming into Texas State's final regular-season conference series this week, only five student-athletes in program history had struck out 400-or-more opposing batters as a Bobcat.
A sixth student-athlete joined the exclusive club during Texas State's 7-2 win at UTA Friday night, when sophomore right-hander
Jessica Mullins (25-11) fanned five Mavericks in seven innings to push her career total to 403. Mullins is the first Bobcat softball student-athlete to reach the milestone since Randi Rupp did so as a sophomore, too, during the 2016 season.
The same way she did when she reached 200 strikeouts on the season seven days ago against Troy on Friday, April 29, Mullins reached the milestone in the game's first inning.
After
Sara Vanderford became Texas State's only baserunner in the top of the first on an infield single, Mullins took the circle for the second consecutive day, looking for her 45th career win.
The sophomore surrendered a leadoff double to UTA's KJ Murphy but induced a pop up on a bunt attempt for the first out of the bottom of the first. Mullins, with a runner on second with only one out in a 0-0 game, flipped the switch and struck out Sophie Widerman swinging before getting Morgan Rios looking for the historic moment.
The Texas State (34-17, 18-8) offense responded by giving Mullins a three-run lead in the top of the second on a hit pitch, two walks, two fielder's choices and two Maverick errors.
Kylie George drove in the game's first run with a one-out, full-count bases-loaded walk to score
Caitlyn Rogers, who was hit on the first pitch of her at bat a day after hitting a three-run home run during the Bobcats' eight-run fifth inning.
An inning after Mullins added to her strikeout total, the Maverick (22-24, 12-14) offense strung together three singles and two walks to score two runs and cut the Bobcat lead to one.
Ciara Trahan, who drove in a run during the three-run second inning, plated George in the top of the fourth with a two-out triple to right-centerfield. Mullins, now with a two-run lead, returned to the pitching circle only briefly as she set down three Maverick batters on five pitches.
Claire Ginder added to the Bobcat run total in the fifth with a one-out single to right field that scored
Anna Jones, who started the frame with a full-count walk. UTA attempted to cut its deficit in the bottom half of the inning after getting runners at second and third with only one out.
But Mullins induced a flyout to left field that Trahan threw back into the infield quick enough to prevent a sacrifice fly. She ended the inning on the next pitch with a popup to Ginder at second.
Jones, who was robbed of a base hit earlier in the game as a result of a stellar defensive play, had the favor returned in the top of the sixth with a two-out, two-run single to centerfield to extend the Texas State lead to five runs. Mullins clamped down on the Maverick offense by retiring the next six consecutive batters to clinch the series for the Bobcats.
Texas State will close out its 2022 regular season on Saturday, May 7, when the Bobcats closeout its three-game series at UTA at 1 p.m. CT.
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