SAN MARCOS, Texas. – After surrendering a first-inning run, the App State Softball team responded by scoring four runs in the second inning off of the Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year to take the lead. The Mountaineers held onto that lead until the fifth inning, which saw the Texas State Bobcats hit two homers to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish as the Bobcats secured a 7-4 win to claim the series on their home field.
App State (9-17, 0-2 SBC) learned from the things it saw on Friday against Texas State's (17-6, 2-0 SBC) Madison Azua, as the Mountaineers scored four runs, which was the most she has given up all season. But Azua settled in after the second inning as the Mountaineers saw just one baserunner, a walk to
Summer Simpson, from the second frame on. This allowed Texas State to slowly chip away, which it did as it scored five of its seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Makayla McClain provided a huge jolt to the App State offense as part of its four-run second as she drove home two with a double that missed being a homer by mere inches. Simpson was also instrumental for the Mountaineer offense as she drove home the team's first run with two outs while
Macy Hamby scored McClain with an RBI single to cap off the crooked inning.
Marti Henkel also added a hit in the second inning, which extended her hitting streak to six games.
The Mountaineers' two-out hitting was excellent against the Bobcats on Saturday as they went 4-10 with two outs (.400) and scored all four of their runs with two outs. The trio of Simpson, McClain and Hamby tallied three consecutive hits in the second inning which scored all of App State's runs, while Henkel's knock and
Madison McIntyre's walk to help set up the rally each came with two outs.
How it Happened
The Mountaineers' offense started fast against the Bobcats in game 2 as McClain took a 1-2 pitch and shot it into left field for a lead-off single. An error by the Bobcats' shortstop allowed her to reach second and a one-out groundout sent her to third, but Texas State kept the Mountaineers scoreless by stranding a runner on third.
Texas State struck first in the bottom half of the inning, using two straight hits to start the game and a sacrifice fly to do so. The Mountaineers' starter,
Sophie Moshos, limited the damage to just the one run by stranding a runner on third to give the App State bats a chance to tie it.
App State answered the Bobcats' run with a big inning as it scored four times to take its first lead of the series. After the Bobcats retired the first hitters via strikeout, Henkel started a rally by singling into left field. She was followed by a walk to McIntyre and then Simpson stroked a single into left field, which plated Henkel and tied the contest at one.
Still with two outs and runners on the corners, McClain battled to face 10 pitches and finally came through with a two-RBI double that missed being a homer by a few inches on the 11th pitch. Both McIntyre and Simpson scored to put App State ahead. Not done yet, Hamby stroked a 1-2 pitch just fair down the left-field line which scored McClain to make it 4-1. Hamby was thrown out at second trying to extend her single into a double, but the damage was done as the Mountaineers led 4-1 after an inning and a half.
Trailing by three, the Bobcats went to work to cut into their deficit and scored their second run in the bottom of the second. The Mountaineers couldn't answer in their half of the third, but Moshos posted a dueling zero, which included a 6-4-3 double play, to keep the Mountaineers' lead intact.
Both teams sputtered in the middle innings as the duel between Moshos and Azua heated up, but after the Bobcats held App State scoreless in inning No. 5, Texas State scored three runs to take the lead. Kate Bubela led off the frame with a solo homer to right that knocked Moshos out of the game and then Aiyana Coleman delivered the go-ahead homer to cap off the frame.
Now trailing for the first time since the second inning, the Mountaineers needed an answer. But Azua had it going as her outing progressed as she struck out two Mountaineers in the sixth to keep the Bobcats' lead at one. Texas State scored two more runs in the sixth inning to add crucial insurance runs and Azua finished what she started with a clean inning to win the game. Azua struck out a career-best 13 hitters in the game.
Friday Notes
Home runs
App: N/A
TXST: Bubela (3), Coleman (7)
WP: Madison Azua (9-2): 7 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP:
Ava Beamesderfer (1-3): 0.2 IP, 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
Up Next
App State and Texas State will wrap up their series on Sunday with the third and final game. First pitch from Bobcat Softball Stadium is slated for noon ET (11 a.m. CT) and the contest can be streamed on ESPN+.
