Texas State Posts Shutout Over Lamar Wednesday
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Four runs in the first two innings lifted the Texas State softball team to a 4-0 victory over Southland Conference foe Lamar Wednesday evening. The Bobcats improve to 25-15 overall and 10-5 at home this season.
Three runs in the first and one in the second gave Texas State the early advantage over the Cardinals. Lamar had just three balls leave the infield including its first hit outside of the diamond in the top of the seventh inning.
WHO STOOD OUT
Randi Rupp / P / Sophomore / Mont Belvieu, Texas
With 10 strikeouts on the day, Rupp eclipsed 500 strikeouts in her career. She finished the day with 10 Ks, just one walk, two hits, and no runs allowed. Rupp lowered her ERA to 1.92 for the season as well as won her 17th game this year.
Corrina Liscano / 3B / Junior / Pomona, Calif.
Liscano registered two hits, a run, and an RBI in the victory. It was the first multi-hit game for Liscano since March 12 against Georgia Southern. Liscano has now recorded six hits in the last seven games for Texas State.
Kendall Wiley / 1B / Senior / Austin, Texas
Wiley recorded two hits for the Bobcats for her first multi-hit game since March 19 against Georgia State. Wiley had recorded just four hits since that date.
Quincy Charleston / P / Junior / Carthage, Mo.
Coming in relief in the top of the sixth, Charleston closed out the game and secured the victory for Texas State. Although unable to receive the save, Charleston pitched two scoreless innings while striking out two. She allowed just one hit and it was the second-straight game where she has come in relief and put up zeros on the scoreboard.
SCORING RECAP
Bottom 1: With Kelli Baker on third (double then advanced on sacrifice bunt) and Ariel Ortiz on first (walk), Corrina Liscano singled down the right field line to give Texas State a 1-0 lead.
Bottom 1: A walk drawn by Taylor Webb with one out loaded the bases for Jaelyn Young. With a 2-2 count, Young doubled to right field and Ortiz and Liscano scored. Texas State lead 3-0 after the first inning.
Bottom 2: Baker led the inning off by reaching base on a throwing error. Baker advanced to third after a second throwing error and a ground out before a single by Ortiz lifted Texas State to a 4-0 lead.
NOTES
Randi Rupp struck out her 500th career batter in the top of the third inning. Rupp becomes the fourth pitcher in Texas State history to eclipse the milestone. Leading the Bobcats all-time is Nicole Neuerburg with 1,019.
Rupp also struck out 10 batters for the seventh time this season.
Only one Bobcat struck out Wednesday evening. It was just the fifth time this season that Texas State struck out just one time.
The shutout by Rupp and Charleston was the 12th shutout this season by Texas State.
This was the seventh-straight game where Texas State played error-free ball. The Bobcats have improved their fielding percentage to .972 which ranks them second in the Sun Belt Conference.
NEXT UP
Texas State will hit the road once again this weekend with a trip to Troy.
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Davis Records Complete-Game Shutout; GSU Wins 11-0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Georgia State routed Chattanooga Wednesday at Frost Stadium, defeating the Mocs 11-0 in five innings behind Annie Davis’ complete-game shutout and Kensey Caldwell’s four RBI.
Georgia State got on the board in the second inning with four runs on three hits and an error. Taylor Anderson drew a leadoff walk and then Morgan Brown used her speed to reach first base safely on a bunt. With two on and no outs, Brenna Skalski sent a high-hopper over the head of the first baseman and into right field. Anderson scored from second and Brown took third on the throw home. On the next pitch, Skalski took off for second and the throw deflected into the outfield, allowing Brown to come home and Skalski to advance to third.
With one out, Ivie Drake drew her 35th walk of the season, surpassing her total from 2015. With two outs, Drake on second base and Reagan Morgan on 1st, the Mocs’ catcher held a spot, looking for a strike call from the umpire. Drake noticed the catcher turn around and stole third, allowing Morgan to reach second. On the next pitch, Kensey Caldwell broke it open with a single into left field, scoring both runners and putting the Panthers up 4-0.
Georgia State added on in the fourth inning on a Mandy Blackwell RBI-single that allowed Taylor Bradley to come home from second. The Panthers then exploded for six runs in the fifth inning, including three doubles. Arden Jobe led off with a double and scored when Skalski hit a bases-loaded, two-RBI single off the top of the wall in right, just barely missing a grand slam. Freshman Remington Hasty pinch hit later in the inning and tallied her first career hit, an RBI-double down the left field line. Caldwell added another double, bringing home two more runs in the frame.
Annie Davis was dealing in the circle on Wednesday, holding the Mocs’ offense to just two hits over five innings. Davis went the distance, earning her fourth complete game and second shutout.
Next up for Georgia State is a three-game Sun Belt series at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.
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Three Eagles Blast Home Runs as Softball Defeats Kennesaw State 6-4
STATESBORO, Ga. – Three different Eagles homered Wednesday night – including two for the first time this season – to lead the Georgia Southern softball team to a 6-4 victory over in-state rival Kennesaw State at Eagle Field.
Redshirt freshman Lydia Witkowski and junior Michelle Mazur both knocked their first home runs of the season early in the game against the Owls while senior catcher A.J. Hamilton hit her seventh of the year. All three also recorded two hits at the plate with Hamilton leading the way with a perfect 2-for-2 outing that included three runs batted in and one run scored herself. Mazur went 2-for-3, including her first double of the season after ripping the game-winning home run in the bottom of the second. Witkowski went 2-for-4 at the dish and matched Mazur with a homer and a double.
The Owls (22-17) scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the second inning off a two-RBI single by Missy Perkowski, but the Eagles (24-17) answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame, including the two-run bomb from Mazur. Prior to Mazur's homer, Hamilton sent a sacrifice fly to right-center field, scoring Morgan Robinson.
In the bottom of the third, Witkowski led off the Eagles' half of the inning by blasting her home run over the right field fence and a few batters later, Robinson scored off a single to right field from Hamilton to set the score at 5-2 in favor of GS.
Kennesaw State was able to score a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning to pull back within one; however, Hamilton extended the Eagles' lead back out to two when she blasted her solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the frame.
Dixie Raley (17-8) had another solid outing in the circle for GS, going the distance while giving up just four hits and four runs, two earned, while striking out five batters. Jenna Kniss (0-3) started just her third game of the season but pitched just over two innings while giving up four earned runs, including two of the three home runs.
COACH SMITH SAYS
"This was an important win for us, tonight. They are ahead of us in the RPI rankings and are a good team, so I'm happy to get the win. I'm also really happy for Lydia and Michelle getting their first home runs of the season, as well as A.J. adding another one tonight. Overall I was very proud with our entire lineup. We did some very good things at the plate and in the field and did a little bit of everything: played some speed game, played some power game. Tonight really helps us to keep the momentum going from last weekend heading into another important conference series this weekend."
UP NEXT
The Eagles will wrap up their current seven-game homestand this weekend with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against South Alabama at Eagle Field. GS and USA will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 16 beginning at 3 p.m. and will close out the series with a single game on Sunday, Apr. 17. Sunday's game between the Eagles and Jaguars will serve as the Georgia Southern's annual Pink Game with fans being encouraged to wear pink to the game for cancer awareness.
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Troy Softball Drops Close Game to Samford
TROY, Alabama – The Troy softball team dropped a close game against in-state rival Samford, 8-6, on Wednesday at the Troy Softball Complex.
Kate Benton and Carli Kayler both had two hits on the day while Hannah Day, Meg Willis, Amanda Winters, Khadija Neely and Erica Davis all contrinuted with one a piece.
The Trojans (25-15) had a huge sixth inning and scored five runs to tie the game 6-6. Four of the runs came with two outs. Willis got the sixth inning started with a double to left center and Winters came to the plate behind her and singled to center field to get runners on the corners. Bailey Burk pinch ran for Willis and scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch.
Benton recorded her ninth RBI of the season when she singled to shortstop and brought Winters around for the score with two outs. Kayler got in on the action with a bases-clearing double to left center to tie the game 6-6.
Samford's (24-16) two runs in the top of the seventh were enough to clinch the 8-6 victory. The Bulldogs jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and didn't score again until the fourth. Lexie Higgins sent a solo-shot to right field to get the bottom of the fourth inning started.
Callie Brister tripled to right center and brought another run in before Abbie Miranda singled to center and brought Brister home. Caitlin Bice was next to bat and doubled to left field and scored Miranda and made the score 6-1.
Rebecca Leonard (2-1) got the win in the circle for Samford. She came in relief of Mollie Hanson and tossed 1.1 innings and didn't give up any runs. Peyton Glover (6-2) suffered the loss for the Trojans. She gave up five runs on six hits in three innings pitched.
The Trojans are back in action this weekend as they host Texas State for a Sun Belt Conference matchup at the Troy Softball Complex with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and the series finale on Sunday starting at 12 p.m.