SAN MARCOS, Texas – Tori McCann threw her first seven-inning shutout since her freshman season in 2020 and Ciara Trahan delivered a walk-off RBI single in extra innings as Texas State beat UTSA 1-0 in game one and UTA 4-3 in 9 innings in game two on the first day of the TXST Classic at Bobcat Softball Stadium on Thursday.
 
Texas State (8-4) put together its first 2-0 day of the young season by holding the Roadrunners (3-9) to six hits and seven total baserunners for the Bobcats' third shutout of the season. It was McCann's second shutout of the year after she turned the feat against Lamar in a run-rule, five-inning game on February 16.
 
In the win over former conference rival UTA (5-5), the Bobcats tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning and after Jessica Mullins stranded the tiebreaker runner at third in the top of the ninth, Trahan plated Megan Kelnar with a base hit into right-center field for the game-winning run.
 
Texas State continues the TXST Classic on Friday with a 4 pm against Kansas and 6:30 pm contest against Colorado State.
 
McCann Blanks Roadrunners in 1-0 Win
Tori McCann continued her impressive start to the season by scattering six hits and a walk in seven innings as she earned her second shutout of the season and third win of the year.
 
McCann, who has allowed one run in her last 17 innings pitched, matched her career-high with seven strikeouts in her third winning decision of the year. The right-hander never allowed a baserunner past second base and only faced a runner in scoring position in two at-bats total. Starting with an inning-ending groundball double play in the fifth, she retired seven of the last eight hitters she faced, including two strikeouts in the seventh.
 
The Bobcats scored their lone run in the first inning when JJ Smith drove in Hannah Earls with a sacrifice fly.
 
Earls had two of Texas State's six hits while Katarina Zarate reached base safely twice with a single and a walk.
 
Bobcats Rally, Take Down UTA in Extra Innings
After trailing 2-1 entering their final at-bats, Texas State went on to turn in its third come-from-behind win of the year by scoring a run in the final three innings and beating UTA, 4-3, in nine innings.
 
After UTA scored in back-to-back innings in the third and fourth, Texas State could not advance a runner past first base from the fourth through the sixth frames.
 
However, in the bottom of the seventh against a fresh pitcher in Tamya Waiters, Karmyn Bass drew a leadoff walk and Megan Kelnar moved pinch-runner Sydney Harvey to third base with a single. Piper Randolph followed up with her second hit of the night to drive in Harvey for the game-tying run.
 
Both teams plated their tiebreaker runners in the eighth inning, but in the ninth, Mullins entered in relief and struck out two and induced a pop-out to strand the free runner at third base.
 
The Bobcats responded when Randolph registered her third hit to move Kelnar to third base. After Randolph stole second to put runners on second and third, Trahan drove a ball over the centerfielder's head for the game-winning RBI single.
 
It was Trahan's second hit of the night to join Randolph as the two Bobcats with multi-hit efforts. The Bobcats finished the game with nine hits, one shy of their season-high.
 
Starting pitcher Karsen Pierce worked through five innings in the no-decision and scattered two runs on five hits and two walks.
 
Bailee Welsh made her Texas State debut as the freshman relieved Pierce with three innings and one unearned run allowed. The left-hander surrendered three hits.
 
Mullins picked up her third win of the season with a scoreless inning of work.