HARRISONBURG, Virginia – Texas State softball improved to 21-6 on the season with 14 wins in its last 16 games as the team started conference play with a 8-4 win over James Madison.
 
Four Bobcats had multi-hit days including JJ Smith who hit the Bobcats lone double of the game, and Karmyn Bass who added two RBI to her two hits. Ciara Trahan and Kat Zarate each had two hits as well. Megan Kelnar, Anna Jones and Hannah Earls each had a hit as well as an RBI or scored run.
 
Jessica Mullins started and pitched most of the game, going for 5.1 innings and allowing just one earned run on three hits given up. Mullins struck out three batters and gave up no extra-base hits.

How it Happened
In its opening game of conference play, the Bobcats had to battle at the beginning to keep the Dukes off the board. Hannah Earls singled as the leadoff and would go on to score off a wild pitch, giving the Bobcats the first run of the game.
 
Mullins had her work cut out for her in the bottom of the first, though. After walking the Dukes second batter, she gave up a single and another walk to load the bases. The Dukes next batter singled to third base, scoring one run. Mullins would strike out the next batter to make things two outs. Trahan caught a fly out to left to end the inning with the bases still loaded for the Dukes. Despite allowing four runners on base in the opening inning, things were all tied 1-1 at the end of the first.
 
JJ Smith got the first of her two hits in the second, but she was unable to score the run after a Zarate ground out ended the half inning. JMU was unable to get a hit in the second.
 
It took until the fourth inning for the Bobcats to really break the game open and put up six runs. 
 
Starting things off was a seven-pitch walk to Bass. Smith would go on to single where Hutton, who pinch ran for Bass, would advance to second. Zarate singled to center, loading the bases for the Bobcats.
 
Kelnar would single to right to score Hutton. The Dukes got Smith out at home on the next at-bat to make it two outs with the bases still loaded. Trahan singled to shortstop to score Zarate.
 
JMU's pitcher walked Vanderford with the bases loaded to make it a 4-1 game.
 
As we returned to the start of the inning in batting order, Bass scored two on her at-bat to close out the inning. 
 
Mullins struck out two batters in the bottom of the 4^th to keep the Dukes from adding any runs.
 
Maddy Azua came in to pitch in the bottom of the 5^th, giving up two hits. Kelnar made a clutch play at home, though, to keep the Dukes from scoring. As KK Mathis doubled, Henzler advanced to third and tried to come home but Kelnar leapt to knab the ball out of the air and got back down in time to get the out.
 
McCann came in to pitch in the bottom of the 6^th after the Bobcats didn't add any runs in the 5^th or 6^th. The Dukes were able to get three runs off four hits and two errors to make it a 7-4 ball game in the 6^th.
 
Texas State added one final run in the 7^th off an RBI single from Zarate that scored Piper Randolph. Mullins, who had come in to close the 6^th inning, retired three straight batters to end the game.
 
Texas State would start conference play with a 8-4 win over James Madison and improve to 21-6 on the season.
 
The Bobcats will be back to face the Dukes tomorrow, March 16, at 12 pm (CT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+.