Texas State softball (2-2) fell to the No. 12 University of Oregon Ducks (6-0), 3-7, Thursday at the Bobcats’ home opener.
The first run scored in 2022 at Bobcat Softball Stadium was by a Duck, but the Bobcats were not far behind when graduate infielder Dani Elder dropped a hit over Oregon senior infielder Rachel Cid to bring sophomore utility Anna Jones home from second base to tie the game at one in the bottom of the fourth.
The score would not remain tied for long when in the next frame, the Ducks grabbed two more runs to take the lead 1-3. The Bobcats wouldn’t be able to respond at the bottom of the fifth, but they didn’t give up.
“I was proud of the way they battled,” Texas State Softball Head Coach Ricci Woodard said. “Last weekend I didn’t feel like we battled when we got down three to one. This game I felt like we continued to battle until the very end … I was [just] proud of the way we came out and played seven innings tonight.”
In the top of the sixth, the Ducks reached home on two errors that extended their lead to four, 5-1. The Bobcats in the bottom of the frame were able to recover two runs with an RBI double from junior infielder Sara Vanderford and an RBI single from senior catcher Caitlyn Rogers.
Woodard knows teams like Oregon are the type of teams Texas State will see in the postseason and in order to compete for championships, the Bobcats must familiarize themselves with an opponent like the Ducks.
“That’s a team we have to be able to beat when we get to May and June when we get to regionals and super regionals,” Woodard said. “There’s no reason we can’t, so we just gotta keep working on getting better.”
The Bobcats would not be able to recover from their deficit as the Ducks scored two more runs in the top of the seventh to defeat the Bobcats with a final score of 3-7.
Texas State will be in Houston this weekend, Feb. 19-20, where it’ll play four games in the University of Houston Tournament. The Bobcats will play their first game of the tournament on Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. against the McNeese State Cowgirls at Cougar Softball Stadium.