Texas State Softball Stuns No. 15 Texas A&M

In a week that has seen Texas State Softball beat two Big XII teams, 14th ranked UH and nearly steal a win from No. 7 Oklahoma, the Bobcats won 3-2 Wednesday night in walk-off fashion against the number 15th ranked Texas A&M.

In front of nearly 1,400 fans, action between the Bobcats and Aggies began heatedly and the first two inning came and went rather quickly. Chandler Hall, freshman pitcher and sister of Bobcat junior outfielder Taylor Hall, got the call to start on the circle for the Cats, and held the Aggies to only two hits all game. Those two hits, however, came in the form of long-balls off the bats of right fielder Holly Ridley and catcher Erin Glasco. Glasco's home run hit the Texas State scoreboard in right field and put the Aggies up 1-0 in the top of the second. Ridley's shot to right centerfield came in the fourth.

Chandler Hall might find comfort in her performance, despite being taken out after the third inning, seeing that Texas A&M used most of the same starting nucleus as its 2008 Women's College World Series Finals lineup for Wednesday night's show-down in San Marcos. To play on a comparable level with No. 15 Texas A&M not only provides promise for Hall, but for the Bobcats as a whole, especially holding such an offensively powerful Aggie team to only two hits on the night. The evening proved especially historic as this was the first game ever played in the new Bobcat Softball Complex.

Playing the new complex's first hero, junior first baseman Leah Boatright went 3-for-4 on the evening, plating two crucial RBI, the latter of which the game-winner.

Boatright singled to center field early on, reaching third on a two-base error, only to be stranded by the end of the inning. McKenzie Baack, the sophomore first baseman and 2008 SLC Hitter of the Year, hit cleanup behind Boatright. Baack was 2-for-3 on the night with one strikeout. Junior utility player Kristina Tello played a big role in the offense, despite going hitless on the night.

Ridley crushed a drive deep and over the right centerfield wall to regain the lead at 2-1 in the out-of-towners' favor in the fourth inning. But in the home half of the fourth, Chandler Hall popped foul behind the first base bag and the flare fell between second baseman Natalie Villareal and first baseman Taryn Broussard, keeping Hall's at-bat alive. Hall hit a slow-roller to Villareal who scooped it and made a poor backhand flip, which sailed over Broussard's head, sending Hall to second base. Hall earned credit for a hit. Tello followed in the next at-bat, slapping a routine grounder to short, but Junior short stop Macie Morrow made an errant play on the ball, allowing it to bounce off the end of her glove and into shallow centerfield, plating Hall from second.

Senior pitcher Katie Garnett replaced Chandler Hall in the fourth inning, keeping the Aggies hitless through the rest of the game, as well as keeping Hall's two-hit effort in tact. The Bobcats would extend their hits to seven total on the night by the seventh inning.

Tied at two runs apiece in the bottom of the seventh, senior short stop Alex Newton creamed a single to left, followed by Taylor Hall who stepped in hitting left-handed. Hall drew a walk to move the runner over. Newton and Hall each reached safely on a double steal after a pitch in the dirt, with a late throw to third missing Newton by a step. The next batter, Boatright, sent a 1-1 Texas Leaguer over the short stop Morrow, plating Newton from third for the game-winning run to beat Texas A&M 3-2.

For a night full of firsts, the Bobcats cleared the bench to celebrate a quite memorable first, a win in their brand new stadium. The Cats are now 6-4 overall, and begin conference play next week. The Aggies fall to 5-6, including five straight losses.

The Bobcats leave Friday for Baton Rouge, LA, to partake in the LSU Purple and Gold Challenge. The Cats continue three more games on the road at UT-Arlington before coming home to play two against McNeese State Feb. 28 at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. The Cowgirls of McNeese stay until Mar. 1, and then the Texas Longhorns head to San Marcos, Mar. 3, at 7:00 p.m.

Mason Robinson- KTSW Sports Staff Writer