SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State softball got its first Sun Belt win of the season in a 6-2 home result against South Alabama. The Bobcats now sit at 20-12-1 and 1-3-1 in conference play as the team closes out its home stand with South Alabama tomorrow. 
 
The game started out slow on both sides, but the Bobcats picked things up in the third inning. When Katarina Zarate got up to bat and got on base, things started to fall into place for the team. Ciara Trahan hit another single and advanced Zarate to third. From there, Trahan stole second and advanced on Earls single.
 
Earls single scored the Bobcats first of three runs that inning.
 
"When start stringing hits together at the same part of the lineup, you're probably going to win ball games," said head coach Ricci Woodard. "I've been talking about key hits and executing, and I feel like we did a better job with that today."
 
Adding to the slew of hits in the bottom of the third was Piper Randolph. Randolph singled up the middle, allowing Earls and Trahan to score. Woodard had been preaching the importance of hitting key pitches all week, and the team began to execute that today. 
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Anna Jones was able to benefit from a passed ball and scored on Megan Kelnar's double down the right field line. The Bobcats sat at 4-0 headed to the final two innings of play.
 
The Jaguars were able to pull back a run in the top of the fifth inning. After another batter was up, Woodard opted to sub in senior pitcher Tori McCann.
 
"I have a good pitching staff," Woodard said about the change. "They all know I'm going to pull the trigger a lot faster this year because I think they all do a good job. In the past I've let [Pierce] go one or two pitches too long, and I'm not doing that anymore. They're too good of a pitching staff to do that."
 
After the pitching change, McCann closed out the game allowing just one run and one hit and had two strikeouts.
 
The Bobcats tacked on their final two runs of the game in the 6^th inning. Zarate got on base and scored on a wild pitch and a single from Trahan. Trahan also scored on an error from the Jaguar's catcher.
 
This was  Zarate's second two-run game of her career as a freshman.
 
The Jaguars added a consolation run in the top of the 7^th to end the game 6-2.
 
For Woodard, she looks ahead to tomorrow's game where she hopes to see more aggressiveness from her team. 
 
"We have to have focus," Woodard said. "We have to have energy; we have to have fire about us to win a ball game tomorrow."

UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will look to win the series tomorrow in the finale at 12 p.m. inside Bobcat Softball Stadium. The Bobcats will then prepare to host Big 12 foe Baylor for a midweek game on March 29^th at 6 p.m.