TXST SOFTBALL
Going into their Sunday game against App State, the Bobcats looked to close out the three-game series strong and complete the sweep of the Mountaineers.
For Head Coach Ricci Woodard, being gritty in the third game of the series is what’s needed to complete critical sweeps in conference play where wins are crucial.
“We just talked about weekends being kind of the grit [needed] on Sundays, having to dig in and go,” Woodard said. “I like the way we came out. We were just able to hold on and keep fighting, which is what Sundays are always gonna be about for us.”
Texas State responded with a hard fought 6-4 win over App State after scoring six runs in the first two innings to complete the sweep.
Knowing that App State was looking to avoid the sweep, Woodard talked about the importance of striking early against the Mountaineers.
“That’s big,” Woodard said. “You can tell [App State wasn’t] going to die down either, so if you can set the tone early on Sundays, you have a better chance to win the game.”
In the Bobcats’ wins over App State on Friday and Saturday, Texas State was powered by the pitching performance of sophomore Madison Azua.
On Friday, Azua came in from the bullpen during the fourth inning and proceeded to sit down ten straight batters in a row while striking out three batters as Texas State won 8-2.
Starting on Saturday, Azua struck out a career high 13 batters despite giving up four runs in the second inning, earning the win in the 7-4 victory of the Mountaineers.
“[I was] just trying to stay calm and know that I can get the job done,” Azua said.
”After that second inning, even during the second inning, I was doubting myself. After that I just came back in, knowing what I’m capable of knowing that [App State is] not better than me.”
Azua improved her pitching record to 10-2 for the season.
“It doesn’t surprise me, just because she’s a competitor,” Woodard said of Azua’s performance. “Sometimes when things don’t go her way, she finds a way to dig a little bit deeper because she likes to compete.”
While the defense continued to make plays, the offense responded in kind.
In Saturday’s game, the Bobcats trailed 4-2 going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Texas State took the lead with a pair of home runs from sophomore third baseman Kate Bubela and junior first baseman Aiyana Coleman, who hit a two-run homer.
The Bobcats later tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to seal the win.
“I thought we did a good job of just continuing to play the game one pitch at a time,” Woodard said on Saturday’s offensive performance. “When you give up [four runs] in the second inning, you have a lot of ball game left and I thought we did a good job of handling the rest of the game.”
Texas State is back home Wednesday for a midweek showdown with the Wichita State Shockers. The Shockers enter the game with a 13-13 overall record and are coming off a conference series win over the North Texas Mean Green in the American Conference. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
