The Texas State softball team grabbed a pair of victories on the opening day of the LittleWood Classic at Arizona State’s Farrington Softball Stadium. The Bobcats knocked off Illinois State 2-1 in game one of the two matches. In game two, the Bobcats thrashed The University of North Dakota in an 11-2 blowout in six innings of play.
The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead against the Redbirds in the bottom of the second inning in game one, after ArieAnn Bell, freshman outfielder, popped one up for a home run. This was the first of her collegiate career from the opposite field.
The Redbirds eventually tied the score to 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning, but that just brought life to the Bobcats’ offense.
Hailey Mackay, sophomore infielder, opened with a single at the bottom of the sixth before being lifted for a pincher runner, Jaclyn Molenaar, senior outfielder. Ariel Ortiz, senior infielder, then hit a bunt and ran to first base and beat the throw. Molenaar moved on to second base on the play, giving Texas State two runners on a base with zero outs.
Randi Rupp, senior right-handed pitcher, had an outstanding game and was able to keep the Redbird’s batters off balance.
Rupp threw 106 pitches and struck out 13 batters.
Rupp also reached 1,000 career strike outs in the game and joins Nicole Neuerburg from the 2004 class, as the only Bobcat pitchers to have 1,000 strike outs in their Texas State career.
The Bobcats jumped to a quick win against North Dakota in game two. Starting in the first inning, the Bobcats struck first. Molenaar kicked things off with a single to the middle. MacKay then hit a double to right field that would advance Molenaar to third base. Molenaar and MacKay scored following a double to right center by Ortiz.
Later in the fifth inning Molenaar hit a single to start off. Two batters later, Ortiz knocked the ball out of park and scored Molenaar and herself.
Meagan King, freshman right-handed pitcher, started the game and lasted only 1.2 innings before giving way to Krista Jacobs, junior right-handed pitcher.
Jacobs remained in for 4.1 innings and threw 41-of-57 pitches as strikes and allowed only two runs and six hits throughout.