Sophomore designated player Karmyn Bass singled and drove in two runs in a six-run inning Friday afternoon as Texas State softball (22-6, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) defeated James Madison University (16-9 0-1 Sun Belt Conference) 8-4 in the first of a three-game series at Bank of the James Field at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Bass’s two-RBI single capped off a monstrous fourth inning for the Bobcats, putting them up 7-1.
Multiple Bobcats contributed to the big inning, with sophomore catcher Megan Kelnar, junior left fielder Ciara Trahan and senior right fielder Anna Jones all collecting RBI singles. Additionally, graduate student infielder Sara Vanderford picked up an RBI on a walk.
Sophomore second baseman Katarina Zarate added another run on an RBI single in the seventh inning.
The game’s first run was scored when senior shortstop Hannah Earls made it home on a wild pitch in the first inning. The Dukes immediately responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from graduate student infielder Hallie Hall.
Senior pitcher Jessica Mullins picked up her 12th win of the season, allowing one run on three hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Mullins left the game after four innings on the mound but returned with two outs in the sixth inning to close out the game after the Dukes scored three runs to make it a 7-4 ballgame.
James Madison redshirt freshman pitcher Payton List took the loss after allowing seven runs on seven hits, three walks, and a strikeout in 3 ⅔ innings of work.
The Bobcats will look to bring their win streak to seven in the second matchup of the weekend series.
The opening pitch between Texas State and James Madison is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at Bank of the James Field at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
