Texas State softball (46-13) kicked off postseason play with a 4-2 victory over Pennsylvania State University (34-19) in comeback fashion Friday afternoon at Davis Diamond in College Station. The Bobcats are now 4-0 this season against the Nittany Lions.

Pitching reigned supreme for the first 3 ½ innings and held the game scoreless, heading into the home half of the fourth inning. Texas State cracked the zeros on the scoreboard when senior infielder Hannah Earls singled up the middle to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game.

After a scoreless fifth inning for both sides, Penn State took the 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left field. Texas State didn’t wait long to respond.

During the home half of the sixth inning, graduate student infielder Sara Vanderford tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI double into the left-centerfield gap. Following Vanderford, senior outfielder Anna Jones singled to give Texas State the 3-2 lead. The Bobcats held on from that moment to pick up the pivotal game-one win.

“We’re never out [of the game],” Texas State Head Coach Ricci Woodard said. “At this point in the season, you’re gonna get punched, so you better be able to punch back.”

In the circle, senior pitcher Jessica Mullins worked a complete game, holding Penn State to two runs on four hits en route to her 31st win of the year. The win against Penn State also marked the 100th career win for Mullins in her collegiate career.

Texas State will play Texas A&M University (41-13) in its second game of the regional with a spot in the regional championship on the line. The Bobcats walked off the Aggies in the two teams’ lone meeting this season.

The opening pitch between Texas State and Texas A&M is scheduled to be thrown at 2:05 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Davis Diamond in College Station. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.