Bobcats Softball Sitting Silent Following Round 2 vs. Oklahoma State

After the first loss with the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in this weekend’s Century Link Classic tournament, the Texas State Bobcats couldn’t square up with the Cowgirls for a win in round two. With the powerhouse sophomore pitcher Chandler Hall and heavy hitters Anna Hernandez and Kristina Tello, there was a hope to pull out a victory today in Bobcat Field, but it just didn’t turn out the way they wanted it to in a 6-2 loss.

In the first inning Hall pitched a quick 3 series strike out for the Cowgirls, giving her a good start and an early chance at offense for her team. The Bobcats tried to answer back to put a couple of runs on the board, but OSU pitcher Kat Espinosa fought back by throwing strongly and consistently stopping the Bobcats in their tracks. Only one hit was made by the 'Cats before the first inning was complete. The second inning was much of a repeat for both teams, no runs and lots of foul balls. The girls were not hitting inside the lines at all, balls were going into the stands, dugouts, and even the railroad tracks. It seemed like all of those things were getting a bit more attention than the bases and field should. After all it was Valentine’s Day, they could have shown a little more love.

Things didn’t start to spice up until the top of the third inning. Hall gave her team some quick words of encouragement to try to quickly throw out OSU again but tables turned on them when the Cowgirls juiced the bases. 1st basemen Julie Ward hit a double in the center left of the field allowing them to score three runs. Texas State still had the faith to show up and they finally did once pinch hitter Brooke Baker gave them the first run of the game, which was in the final quarter of the game. Freshman Anna Hernandez also made a big game change while scoring her first home run of her career leaving the score 4 to 2.

However, OSU padded their lead with two insurance runs in the 6th, and the Bobcats were not able to answer back in the 7th and final inning. Chandler Hall pitched all seven innings, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, and 6 errors to OSU. If Texas State wants to see a change in that, then they must stay focused and consistent throught the whole entire game. Oklahoma state was a big challenge for the 'Cats after they lost to the Cowgirls 10-0 the day before, but they should not have gotten shaken up and stirred. Maybe a little change in defense could help out the Bobcats in their next game against UT Arlington. The final score for this game was 6-2, Cowgirl victory.

-Bryana Lundy, KTSW Sports Staff Writer