HOUSTON – The Bobcat's bats were alive as Texas State started its road trip with a 12-8 win at Houston. The Bobcats 12 runs came off 11 hits including a season-best single game total of four home runs.

The homers came from Aiyana Coleman, Keely Williams, Kate Bubela and Harley Vestal. Vestal's was her first of her collegiate career, while Coleman's was a team-leading 8^th. The four were four of seven different Bobcats to record hits. 

How it Happened: 
The Bobcats started the game on the backfoot, after not scoring in the top half of the inning and surrendering a two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning. Maddy Azua started in the circle and pitched 6.1 innings, coming out for a brief stint in the 7^th. She allowed six runs, a walk and 10 hits in her outing.

Texas State answered the Cougars home run with two of their own in the 2^nd inning, but Texas State's accounted for five of its eight runs scored in the 2^nd. Vestal led off the inning with a five-pitch walk, she scored on Bubela's home run. From there, Mayson Garrett singled to get on base, and Sami Hood was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Garrett scored on a Williams single to center. From there, the bases were loaded when Sydney Harvey was walked on four pitches.

To follow that up, Karmyn Bass batted a ball back up the middle to score Williams and Hood, advancing Harvey to second. Vestal came back up to bat after Coleman's strikeout. Vestal hit a ball to deep right field for three runs to make it an 8-2 ball game. 

Neither side added any runs in the third, but Houston hit a grand slam in the fourth to bring the score back within two. Again neither side scored in the 5^th.

Texas State put up four more runs in the 6^th to put their lead back to six, though. Williams hit a solo home run for the first of the four runs. She was followed by a Harvey single and Bass walk. Bass reached in all her plate appearances, hitting 3-3 with the walk. The two scored on Coleman's home run that ricocheted off the trees in center field. 
Azua retired the side in order in the 6^th, and Chesney Davis came in for the 7^th.

Davis retired the first batter she faced with a strikeout but surrendered a solo home run on the next at bat she saw. From there, she allowed two more runners on who would score on a double. After hitting the next batter with a pitch, Azua returned to get the final out. Azua got her fifth strikeout of the game on seven pitches to end the ball game. In the end, Texas State won 12-8.

After today's game, Texas State is now 19-9 on the season and 2-1 in Sun Belt play.

Up next:
Texas State will visit Lamar tomorrow March 18 before a three game series at Louisiana on the weekend. Texas State's next home game will be Wednesday, March 25 at 6 pm against #2 Texas. All of the Bobcats' games the remainder of the regular season can be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets to home games at txst.com/tickets.