Don’t look now, but Texas State softball (29-17 Overall, 13-8 Sun Belt) is on fire, scorching even. The Bobcats are winners of nine straight and will look to continue that dominance Friday night against Troy (27-15 Overall, 13-8 Sun Belt). 
The two squads are tied for third place in the Sun Belt conference standings thanks to their identical in-conference records. That means that this series is an opportunity for one of these teams to separate themselves. 
Texas State’s last contest was an 11-1 beatdown against Georgia Southern. The Bobcats were able to score in every inning but the third, with five runs coming during the fourth inning alone. Sophomore infielder Hannah Earls led the team with three runs coming from four trips to the plate. Freshman outfielder Ciara Trahan wasn’t far behind with two runs of her own and four RBIs total.
Troy picked up a 5-0 win in their most recent bout against UT Arlington. Junior pitcher Leanna Johnson was lights out, throwing a no-hitter in seven innings pitched, including 11 strikeouts. The game marked her second no-hitter of the season. Unlike Johnson’s one-woman show on defense, it was a team effort for the Trojans on offense, each of their five runs came from a different batter. 
Both of these clubs are coming off strong wins and they’ll each carry that momentum into Friday looking for a chance to claim sole possession of the third spot in the Sun Belt Conference. The first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday at the Bobcat Softball Complex.