Bobcat Softball Back on Track After Double Header Sweep

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of sweeping a double header against a Southland Conference rival.
Well, maybe the feeling is just a bit sweeter when it comes after five consecutive losses. Either way, Saturday was definitely a day on which the Texas State Softball Team could breathe a sigh of relief after the squad handed the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions a pair of losses that brought their own three game win streak to a halt with a 5-3 Game One victory and a 6-4 win in Game Two.

Sophomore Anne Marie Taylor started the first game in the circle for the Bobcats and pitched superbly, recording seven strikeouts and allowing only one earned run over four and two-thirds innings. Freshman Crystal Alaniz went the rest of the way for Texas State getting her fourth save including two strikeouts.

The Bobcats were led on offense by the duo of sophomores Anna Hernandez and Haley Lemons, each with two hits. But the spark for Texas State came from an unlikely source in the second inning when junior catcher Megan Parten crushed her first career home run over the left field wall. Parten’s dinger came with Hernandez on base to give the Bobcats an early 2-0 lead.
From then on the ‘Cats played to a 3-3 tie with the Lions, with each team scoring the rest of their runs in the ballgame in the fifth and sixth innings, with Texas State tacking on some insurance in the sixth to seal the win.

The Bobcats started lightning-fast in Game Two with three runs in the top of the first. Lion’s starter Jessie Browne was yanked before she could even record one out. Just as it was in Game One, Hernandez came up big, driving in two of the three first inning runs with a ferociously hit single to right field. Not to be outdone by her teammate, Lemons was a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored in the first, adding an RBI in the fourth.

Chandler Hall didn’t have her typical day in the circle but still picked up the win in four and two-thirds inning. She allowed four runs before making way for fabulous freshman Crystal Alaniz, who again went two and a third innings to pick up the save.
The two wins keep the Bobcats (17-18, 10-7 SLC) in sole possession of third place in the standings. After the series finale tomorrow, the Bobcats will host the Bears of Central Arkansas next weekend who are currently toiling in the bottom half of the Southland Standings. Each game of the series will be broadcast on 89.9 FM and on ktsw.net.

Aaron Alaniz, KTSW Sports