Kate Bubela kicked off Texas State softball’s (15-6) third and final game of the series against the Missouri State Bears (1-18) by hitting a ball to the railroad tracks for a grand slam in the first inning on Saturday at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
Texas State earned a 10-2 run-rule victory in the sixth inning, marking a 3-0 series sweep.
“We didn’t play real well last weekend, and so I think this weekend was more about us playing well and just getting our offense going again,” head coach Ricci Woodard said. “So I think it did that for us, the key is that we come back out next week and do the same.”
The Bears struggled early on in the game. McKenzie Vaughan struggled to find an out as Texas State’s first three at-bats filled the bases and Karmyn Bass hit an RBI single, respectively.
Bubela was up after Bass and hit a grand slam. Missouri subsequently swapped Vaughan for Mackenzie Chacon.
Bailee Slack hit an RBI single before Chacon ended the first inning with the Bobcats leading 6-0.
Chacon led a steady few innings until the sixth, where the Bobcats went on a scoring run for the run-rule victory.
Emma Strood continued to show her strength. She pitched five innings, allowing two hits and one run and striking out seven. The single allowed run for Strood was in the fourth inning when Riley Baber hit a home run.
Abigail Jennings relieved Strood in the sixth and pitched one inning, closing out the game and allowing two hits and one run.
The second run for Missouri State came in the seventh when Baber reached on an RBI fielder’s choice.
Texas State totaled nine hits and zero errors, while Missouri State had four hits and two errors.
“I think you’re starting to see a team that hopefully is ready to start a conference series now next weekend, and with a lot of confidence, which is exactly where I wanted to be going into this,” Woodard said.
Next, the Bobcats will play in their first Sun Belt series of the year against Appalachian State next weekend.
The Bobcats’ first game against Appalachian State next weekend is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Friday at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
