Texas State softball (7-3) finished day three of the TXST Tournament with a 4-1 loss against Texas Tech University (6-2), followed by a 3-1 loss against the University of Tulsa (5-3).
Game one marked the Bobcats’ 22nd loss against the Red Raiders. Texas State lost both games between the two teams last season.
Senior pitcher Jessica Mullins, Texas State’s ace, took the mound against the Red Raiders. Mullins, the Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year, worked for six innings, striking out six batters and giving up three runs, one of which was earned.
“We gotta finish,” Texas State Head Coach Ricci Woodard said. “You know, whether you’re the pitcher or whether you’re part of the defense, we gotta finish the ballgame.”
Junior outfielder Ciara Trahan led the Bobcats’ bats in game one, going 2-for-3 at the dish with an RBI, and senior infielder Hannah Earls added a stolen base for her fourth of the season. Earls currently holds a 100% conversion rate stealing bases.
Texas State held the lead for most of the game until self-inflicted errors allowed the Red Raiders to take the lead. Mullins left the mound after giving up her only earned run, and as junior and freshman pitchers Presley Glende and Madison Azua entered, the Red Raiders increased the score to 4-1 to clinch the victory.
Texas State’s demise was errors as they gave up three unearned runs in the final inning to drop game one of the doubleheader matchup. In game two, Tusla out-batted Texas State en route to its 3-1 win.
Azua started in the circle for Texas State in game two. During her four innings of work, Tulsa took a three-run lead on three hits while she struck out three batters.
“We’re not in a great spot as far as our physicality right now,” Woodard said. “We’re down a few players, but we can’t do the same thing over and over and expect to win ballgames.”
Tulsa led its fourth-inning rally with dribbling infield hits and built a three-run lead that was too much for the Bobcats to overcome.
Texas State clawed back in the fifth inning after a leadoff walk from sophomore utility Sydney Harvey. Earls laid a bunt down, and a miscued throw by the Golden Hurricanes defense allowed Harvey to score from first, making the score 3-1.
Senior pitcher Tori McCann took the mound in the bottom of the fifth and retained Tulsa’s bats to give Texas State a chance at a comeback. However, Texas State’s offense couldn’t produce runs to get back into the game.
The Bobcats will wrap up the TXST Tournament Sunday with a rematch against Texas Tech.
The first pitch between Texas State and Texas Tech is scheduled to be thrown at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at Bobcat Softball Stadium. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
