Softball Sinks Sam Houston in Game 1

Buoyed by a 2-1 series win over UT-Arlington to start Southland Conference play, Texas State came into Saturday's rivalry series against Sam Houston State with some momentum and self-confidence after a rough 4-10 start to the season. One of the key issues plaguing the Bobcats was Chandler Hall's inconsistent play on the pitcher's circle, as she amassed a 4-5 record and an earned run average close to 3.50. That's why it seemed fitting that Texas State's 4-2 victory in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Bearkats was spearheaded by Hall in an 8-strikeout effort.

The (correctly spelled) 'Cats jumped out to a quick lead in the first inning, as Hall fanned two of three Bearkat batters in the top of the inning and the Bobcat offense came alive. Kristina Tello struck out swinging, but SHSU catcher Ashley Isbell dropped the ball in the dirt and Tello ran to first. Isbell made a crucial mistake by not throwing to first--in NCAA softball, if the catcher drops the ball in the dirt after a strikeout, the catcher must throw to first to record the actual out. One Bearkat error led to another as Anna Hernandez, batting in the 2-hole for Texas State, tried a sacrifice bunt and reached on a bad throw by third baseman Shelbi Tucker. Chandler Hall then laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Hernandez to second and Tello to third in a nice bit of small-ball strategy by Bobcat head coach Ricci Woodard. Haley Lemons then reached on a nice bit of base-running on a fielder's choice, bringing home Tello and advancing Hernandez to third. Jenna Emery then smacked through a single and reached second in the ensuing confusion as two more Bobcat runners came home.

By the end of the bottom of the first, Texas State led 3-0, and the SHSU players looked visibly shaken from being hit in the mouth so early by their bitter rivals. It took until the third inning for the Bearkats to settle back down and knock 2 runs in on 3 hits, and for a while it seemed like SHSU was about to do what many teams had done in earlier Bobcat losses: figure out Chandler Hall. However, the sophomore from Baytown instead transitioned to the vintage, dominant player we saw from last year in the final four frames. She only gave up three more hits, and amassed five more strikeouts. The Bobcat bats, dormant since the first inning, provided an insurance run in the form of a Haley Lemons RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was at that point that the body language of the Bearkats started to shift back to the negative, anxiety-prone form seen during the Bobcat onslaught in the second inning. Chandler Hall's 7th inning close-out of the ballgame was not without a bit of a nervous moment as SHSU's Callie Wood doubled to center field and eventually advanced to third, but Hall would prevail and earn the game-winning groundout from Mandy Gegen.

Texas State improves to 6-11 and 3-1 in the SLC with the win, and they would not have long to recover before the 3 PM first pitch of the back end of the Saturday doubleheader. Ann Marie Taylor would get the start at pitcher, and the Bobcat bats would come alive...

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor