Texas State softball (17-13, 5-4 SBC) is set to face off against I-35 rival, UTSA (9-17, 3-3 C-USA), Wednesday in a mid-week matchup at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio.
The Bobcats have won five straight against the Roadrunners, including the most recent matchup on March 15 where the Bobcats shut out the Roadrunners at home, 4-0. The ‘Cats are also looking to win four straight games, for the first time this season, after sweeping Coastal Carolina in San Marcos last weekend.
The Roadrunners are looking to start a streak of their own after defeating Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (12-20, 6-4 SLC), last Tuesday, 9-3, at Chapman Field.
Less than a month ago, when the ‘Runners came to town, Bobcat sophomore pitcher Jessica Mullins dominated the competition. Mullins, from the circle, threw 5.2 scoreless innings. The sophomore allowed three hits, walked two batters and struck out nine. Sophomore pitcher Karsen Pierce came in to finish the job, striking out two of the four batters she faced in 1.1 innings – allowing nothing on the bases. Mullins will likely get the start once more against UTSA, her first start against the Roadrunners in San Antonio.
The Bobcat hitters have been making noise as of late, scoring 26 runs in their last three games. Leading the pack is senior catcher Cat Crenek with a batting average of .488 while getting on base over half the time with a .549 on-base percentage. Senior outfielder Kylie George (.302), junior infielder Sara Vanderford (.304) and sophomore infielder Claire Ginder (.304) are all batting over the .300 mark.
The best hitter for the Roadrunners is sophomore infielder Kat Ibarra who’s batting an average of .351. She has two other teammates, junior infielder Kaitlyn Morado and senior infielder Riley Grunberg, joining her in the .300 club.
UTSA and Texas State will face off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio. The matchup against UTSA is the final game of a four-game away stand. The Bobcats will return home to face the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (20-8, 7-2 SBC) this weekend.