LAFAYETTE, La. – It was a late-game comeback for Texas State as they beat James Madison 5-2 to advance to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
After a RBI groundout from
Harley Vestal tied the game up,
Kate Bubela followed it with a three-run home run to win the game for the Bobcats.
Emma Strood came in in relief and got the win in her 3.0 innings of work.
How It Happened:
Maddy Azua started in the circle for the Bobcats, starting off the game with three strikeouts, including two with the bases loaded, to escape the first inning unscathed.
Despite
Keely Williams leading off the game with a walk, she was out on a double play after
Sami Hood lined a ball back up the middle at the Dukes' pitcher.
James Madison got on the board with a solo home run in the top of the 2
nd. From there, the Bobcats were able to get a hit and a walk in the bottom half of the inning but left the two runners stranded with a strikeout looking to end the inning.
The Bobcats were retired in order in the third, and James Madison added a run in the fourth off an RBI single. Coleman was walked to lead off the bottom of the 4
th, her 62
nd of the year which was a Sun Belt single-season record. Despite that, the Bobcats were unable to plate a run and headed into the 5
th inning down 2-0.
Emma Strood came in to pitch in the 5
th, retiring the side to start off her outing. The Bobcats were retired in order as well in the bottom half of the inning.
After a leadoff double in the 6
th, Williams came around to score on
Sami Hood's RBI single. From there, Vestal tied the game on an RBI groundout. To follow that up,
Kate Bubela cleared the bases with a three-run home run to make it a 5-2 game. She scored Coleman and Hood.
Strood closed out the game in the 7
th with a pop up and two fly outs to get the win for the Bobcats.
Texas State is now 37-19 on the season.
Up Next
Texas State will wait to find out the winner of this afternoon's game between Marshall and Coastal Carolina to find out its opponent for tomorrow. The Bobcats will play at 3 pm with the game streamed on ESPN+.
