The Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Title was on the line Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats looked to continue their momentum against Louisiana-Monroe after a stunning five-run inning in the seventh to give ULM their first loss at home of the season in a stunning comeback at ULM Softball Complex in Monroe, La.
With Friday’s game being delayed into Saturday due to inclement weather, the last two games of the regular season would be placed together as a doubleheader for the ultimate battle between two of the best teams in the conference.
Game 1
Maddy Azua started the game for the Bobcats in the penultimate matchup, tossing six innings and striking out six Warhawks in the process. While she was credited for three earned runs and gave up 10 hits, Azua held them from scoring runs for a majority of the game and was credited with her 20th win of the season.
Aiyana Coleman stood alone, making history in the top of the first inning with one swing of the bat as she crushed her 16th home run of the season into left field, breaking the all-time single season home run record for the Bobcats, previously set by Ariel Ortiz in 2017. Coleman’s two run blast would give Texas State an early 2-0 lead in a game where the winner would win at least a partial share of the conference title.
In the fifth inning, Coleman added another single season school record to her collection with yet another two-run home run towards left center field, claiming the single season RBI record as the Bobcats extended their lead. That record was previously held by Elizabeth Wissel back during the 2001 season.
Texas State would extend their lead as a throwing error by Warhawks starting pitcher Victoria Abrams unloaded the bases, scoring three runs and giving the Bobcats a commanding 7-0 lead.
Azua kept ULM at bay for a majority of the game prior to the seventh inning. The Warhawks would not go down without some sort of fight, scoring three earned runs in the final frame against Azua. She was replaced by Analisa Soliz after giving up three straight singles to start the inning.
The Warhawks threatened after scoring three runs to make it a 7-4 game with two outs. Ultimately, Soliz got out of the jam and gave the Bobcats not just the series win but also a share of the Sun Belt Regular Season title.
Texas State did not just want to share the title however, and they had a good opportunity to get the whole cake with a win in the second game of the doubleheader.
Game 2
The final game of the regular season had arrived at long last. With the opportunity to stand as the best in the Sun Belt, Texas State jumped for that opportunity right away as Megan Kelnar helped give the Bobcats an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with an RBI single into left.
Kelnar would help add on to that lead in the top of the third by forcing a bases-loaded walk, giving Texas State a 2-0 lead. In the top of the sixth, the Bobcats would extend their lead to 3-0 as Kamryn Bass scored on a fielder’s choice.
Throughout the game, the Warhawks had tried several times to strike back with their heavy presence on the basepaths. Starting pitcher Emma Strood kept ULM away from home for the most part until designated hitter Layla Thompson would cut the Bobcat lead with a two-run home run into left, making it 3-2.
Ciara Trahan, in her final regular season game, would add crucial insurance runs with a two-run RBI triple into right, before ultimately scoring herself on a fielder’s choice that would double the lead into 6-2.
Strood remained pitching going into the seventh inning, with the Bobcats needing just three more outs to complete the sweep. Despite a bunt single to open the inning, the Bobcats were able to turn an impressive double play. With a 1-2 pitch to Mea Brown, Strood would strike her out with a swing and a miss, giving Texas State the Sun Belt Regular Season title outright.
Strood earned her 12th win of the season after pitching a complete game against the Warhawks, giving up seven hits but only allowing two earned runs off a home run. She struck out four in the process and lowered her season ERA to a 2.82.
What’s next?
The Bobcats came into Monroe, Louisiana with the hopes of winning a conference title against a team that had been undefeated at home all year long. Not only did they win, but they also won dominatingly, spoiling the Warhawks undefeated streak at home and also pushing them from the top of the conference all the way to fourth.
This regular season title is just the second time in program history the Bobcats won it outright since the first time they won it seven years ago in 2018.
With the conference standings finalized and conference tournament set, the Bobcats squarely placed themselves on top with the number one overall seed in the tournament. Texas State is scheduled to play the winner of James Madison-Troy on May 8th at 4 p.m. at Troy Softball Complex, where the single-elimination tournament is taking place over the course of three days from May 7th to May 10th.
If Texas State makes a push to the conference championship game, that matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN2 on May 10th at 1:30 p.m. All tournament games prior will be available to stream on ESPN+.
