Texas State softball won both legs of their double-header against Saint Louis and Wichita State on Saturday to remain undefeated in the Bobcat Classic.
Junior infielder Tara Oltmann continued to come in clutch and rack up more RBIs to keep the Bobcats hot off a four-game win streak. The ‘Cats kicked off their first eight days of play with a 6-2 season record.
In a rematch of Friday night’s game, the Bobcat blanked Saint Louis with a 12-0 blowout, run-ruling the Billikens in five innings at noon on Saturday.
Junior pitcher Megan King was able to secure her second win of the season, allowing only two hits in five scoreless innings. The Bobcats hit four home runs in the game, with three of the runs coming in the third inning alone.
As the Bobcats picked up the heat offensively, Saint Louis struggled with two errors that cost the team nine unearned runs.
The win was capped off by eleven Texas State runs in the third inning, marking the most runs for the ‘Cats in a single inning this season.
Tori McCann was able to rack up the RBIs after her three-run home run in the third, while Oltmann went 1-for-2 in the game with five RBIs and a grand slam. Oltmann said she has been successful at the plate because she focuses only on the present.
“I think I’ve just been trying to stay as loose as possible and not think about every past at-bat,” said Oltmann “(I) just stick to my present at-bat and just take it one pitch at a time.”
The Bobcats faced off against the Wichita State Shockers for a 5-3 win at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in the second game of the doubleheader. The Shockers also came into the game on a hot streak as both teams attempted to remain undefeated in the Classic.
Senior infielder Bailee Carter helped the ‘Cats to an early lead by scoring off a single up the middle by senior infielder Hailey MacKay. An Oltmann sacrifice fly upped the Bobcats’ lead to 2-0 to end the first inning.
The ‘Cats added another run in the bottom of the fifth when McDowell scored from second on a wild pitch. The Shockers bounced back, loading the bases in the top of the sixth to tie the game after back-to-back-to-back runners walked in. The lead didn’t last long, however, as junior infielder Arieann Bell hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth.
Bell said that consistency is key to keep her personal success as well as the team’s momentum going.
“It’s awesome. I like pumping up my team and getting them excited,” Bell said. “I think we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing. One pitch at a time, staying relaxed and staying loose.”
The Bobcats extended their lead after a double steal got junior outfielder Marisa Cruz across home plate, while McCann finished the game for the Bobcats to give her and the team the 5-3 win.
Head Coach Ricci Woodard said that McCann impressed her and the team as they begin their season.
“I just told (Torri) today, ‘I think you’re my hero,’” Woodard said. “To put those numbers up today she did offensively and on the circle… it shows she has the ability mentally to keep herself in the ball game on both sides of the plate and that’s tough to do as a freshman. I thought she did a great job for us, and to be able to come back in the game for us and get the win after me pulling her and putting her back out there, that’s resiliency you don’t see in every freshmen, so I thought she did a great job with that.”
The Bobcats will finish the Classic in a rematch against Wichita State at noon on Sunday at Bobcat Ballpark.