Backed by strong pitching from the duo of Emma Strood and Maddy Azua and a pair of home runs off the bats of Aiyana Coleman and Keely Williams, Texas State softball (19-6) won its seventh straight game with a 5-0 shutout victory over Wichita State (13-14) Wednesday evening at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
“I thought that was one of the best games overall that we have played all year long,” Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard said. “We pitched well, we hit well and we played good defense. I thought it was just a really clean game for us.”
Run scoring was limited to two half-innings all game long. The Bobcats opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from Megan Kelnar. Kelnar’s RBI knock was immediately followed up by an RBI double courtesy of Mayson Garrett to give the Bobcats the early 2-0 lead.
The Bobcats didn’t score in the third or fourth innings but pushed across three insurance runs in the fifth. After an Erin Peterson single to lead off the inning, Williams connected on the first pitch of her at-bat and hit a two-run shot over the right-centerfield wall. Coleman followed Williams up with a solo shot of her own, going back-to-back and giving the Bobcats the 5-0 advantage. Williams’ homer was her first as a Bobcat.
“It was great [to hit the home run],” Williams said. “I had been anxious the past couple months to get that [first home run], but at the same time, it’s just whatever happens, happens.
Williams’ and Coleman’s home runs capped the scoring off for the Bobcats. Leaving it in the hands of Azua to finish off the shutout. Azua tossed the last two innings in the circle, capping off the shutout. Strood is on record as the winning pitcher, as she worked 5.0 innings, only giving up two hits and facing the minimum in her outing.
With the win, Strood moves to 8-3 on the year and runs the Bobcats winning streak to seven. This is already the second time this season that Texas State has rattled off seven straight. They will look to win a season-high eighth game in a row Friday against Coastal Carolina (23-6).
The series with the Chanticleers will be the Bobcats’ first road conference series of the year. Coastal is coming off a series loss against Troy, so the Bobcats should expect the Chanticleers to play with an extra chip on their shoulder this weekend.
The first pitch of the series opener between Texas State and Coastal Carolina is set for 5 p.m. on Friday at St. John Stadium in Conway, South Carolina. The game will be streaming on ESPN+.
