Senior pitcher Karsen Pierce followed up senior pitcher Jessica Mullins’ perfect game with a gem of her own as Texas State (17-6) closed out the Jeannine McHaney Classic at Rocky Johnson Field in Lubbock, Texas with a 9-1 victory over New Mexico State University (10-8).
The victory ended another successful weekend for the Bobcats in which they went 3-1 in the tournament.
Weak contact was key as Pierce picked up the win, allowing one earned run on two strikeouts, four hits and no walks in five innings of work. Graduate pitcher Tori McCann successfully continued what Pierce started, pitching a perfect inning in relief.
Graduate student infielder Sara Vanderford started the scoring with a solo homerun in the first inning, followed by a two-run home run from sophomore catcher Karmyn Bass in the fourth inning.
The Bobcats tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning thanks to RBI hits from sophomore outfielder Emilie Baker, Vanderford and senior utility Anna Jones.
Texas State concluded its monstrously offensive game by adding three more runs in the sixth inning, which was enough to end the game in six innings due to the NCAA softball run-ahead rule.
New Mexico State scored its only run in the third when senior utility Jayleen Burton stole second base and drew an errant throw from Bass, allowing senior infielder Jessica Carreon to score.
On the mound, New Mexico State senior pitcher Emily Dix took the loss, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, one strikeout, and no walks in 4 ⅔ innings of work before being replaced.
Texas State will look to continue its successful season with a three-game series against Penn State starting on Friday and ending with a doubleheader on Saturday.
The opening pitch between Texas State and Penn State (13-1) is scheduled to be thrown at 6 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 7, at Bobcat Softball Stadium. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
