CONWAY, South Carolina – Texas State softball battled through to the end as the Bobcats secured a 14-12 win against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Sunday afternoon.

Despite going up 5-2 in the second, Texas State trailed through the middle of the game and had a five-run deficit to overcome in the 6th inning. Seven unanswered runs highlighted by a 5-run 7^th inning helped the Bobcats to the win.

Texas State had a season-high 14 runs, 17 hits and three home runs today in the Bobcats win.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Bobcats were retired in order in the first inning, followed up by the Chanticleers getting themselves up 2-0 on a two-run homer after a lead off walk pitched by Maddy Azua. Azua would toss just one inning and give up four runs in the process.

Texas State was able to fight back in the second, though. Aiyana Coleman hit a solo homer as the second batter in the inning, her 9^thof the season. From there, Ciara Trahan singled but was out at third on Megan Kelnar's double. Kelnar would score on an RBI double from Karmyn Bass. Bass would then score on an error by the Chanticleers first basemen to give the Bobcats a lead. With two outs, Texas State would stay alive in the inning and take a three-run lead when Sydney Harvey hit a 2 RBI single up the middle. 

The Chanticleers battled in the bottom half of the inning, though, hitting a two-run homer after the Chanticleers lead off batter was hit by a pitch. Analisa Soliz came into pitch in the bottom of the second. She'd walk the first batter, but a fly out and a double play turned by Coleman would get the Bobcats out of the second with the one run lead.

The Chanticleers answered with five runs of their own, though. A solo homer from Delaney Keith as the lead off batter got them started. Following that up was a single from Georgia Hood, who would score on a 2 RBI homer from the next batter. At that point, Presley Glende came into pitch. She'd load the bases, and two more runners would score on single. Keely Williams, Coleman and Kelnar would combine for the out at third to get out of the inning, though.

Williams would pull a run back for the Bobcats in the top of the 4^th off an RBI single. Coleman would follow that up with an RBI single of her own to make it 7-9 headed to the bottom of the 4^th.

Keith led off the bottom of the 4^th with a solo home run, forcing another pitching change as Emma Strood came in to pitch. Hood would hit another home run as the first batter Strood faced. From there, the Chanticleers added just one more run off an RBI single to make it 12-7 after the 4^th inning.

Neither side scored any runs in the 5^th, the lone scoreless inning of the game.

Coleman hit her second home run of the day for 2 RBI in the 6^th inning to make it a 12-9 game.

Strood kept the Chanticleers off the board in the 7^th, and the Bobcats came up to bat facing a three-run deficit.
After a lead off walk from Bass, Mayson Garrett hit her third home run of the season to make it a one-run game. From there, a Harvey single kept the Bobcats hopes alive. They'd go on to load the bases from a Williams single and a Kate Bubela walk. Coleman would hit a sac-fly to center field to tie the ball game.

To close out the inning, Ciara Trahan would give the Bobcats a two-run lead off a single. 

In the bottom of the 7^th, the Chanticleers started out with a line out to Garrett at 2^nd. The Chanticleers got one runner on from a hit by pitch, though. Trahan would make a diving play in foul territory to get the foul out and the second out for the Bobcats. Strood called game with a strikeout against Georgia Hood.

With the come from behind win, Texas State is now 20-8 on the season and 4-2 in Sun Belt play.

Up next:
Texas State will return home for an I-35 battle with UTSA on March 26^th at 6 pm inside Bobcat Softball Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ or fans can purchase tickets at txst.com/tickets.