Diamond Leslie and the Marshall Thundering Herd (20-13, 6-1 SBC) rolled into their seventh straight win with a 5-3 victory over the visiting Texas State Bobcats (20-9, 4-3 SBC) Friday evening at Dot Hicks Field.

Pitcher Bub Feringa started the match for Marshall, tossing 4 2/3 innings and striking out two. Despite giving up two earned runs on five hits and walking six bobcats, Feringa earned her sixth victory of the season.

Leslie produced all of the Thundering Herd’s runs in the game. Firstly, she produced an RBI double in the bottom of the first to start the scoring. Emma Strood attempted to keep this game afloat until the dam fully opened with a grand slam from Leslie in the bottom of the third to give Marshall a 5-0 lead.

Texas State, despite the deficit, did attempt a comeback. Catcher Megan Kelnar and outfielder Ciara Trahan each produced an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to make it 5-2.

The Bobcats’ greatest and last chances came in the bottom of the seventh when first basemen Aiyana Coleman smacked a one-out home run into left to make it a 5-3 Marshall lead. Kelnar produced a double to put the tying run at-bat. Ultimately, the comeback fell short as Paige Maynard slammed the door shut and earned a save.

This game highlighted Strood’s recent cold hand in pitching. Strood gave up her second five-earned run game in the span of a week, significantly raising her season ERA from 2.91 prior to the Marshall game to 3.32 afterward.

Texas State and Marshall will continue to battle as the Thundering Herd seeks to push its winning streak to eight, with Saturday’s matchup slated to start at 2 p.m. It will be available to stream on ESPN+.