Bobcats fall to Troy in series finale

TXST SOFTBALL

Texas State dropped their home series to the Troy Trojans, losing the final game 3-2 on Saturday.

The Bobcats and Head Coach Ricci Woodard drop their overall record to 30-15 and their conference record to 12-6 as the team looks to bounce back before a crucial weekend series against the rival Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

“Just continuing to figure out how to grow up and play the game one pitch at a time,” Woodard said. “I couldn’t tell if the pressure got to us or if it’s the third game of the series, but we just didn’t perform the way we’re capable of today.”

The series got off to a great start for the Bobcats when Texas State defeated Troy 11-6 on Friday.

Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bobcats trailed 5-1 before sophomore third baseman Kate Bubela connected with a two-run home run, cutting into the deficit.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats struck again with junior second baseman Sidney Harvey hitting an RBI single down the left line to make it a one-score game.

Texas State loaded up the bases with one as freshman shortstop Erin Peterson came up to the plate.

With one swing of the bat, Peterson smashed the ball over the wall in center for the freshman’s first career home run, hitting a grand slam and giving the Bobcats their first lead of the game at 8-5.

“I just knew that I had to hit something hard,” Peterson said. “It happened to have gone over, so that’s pretty exciting. I knew that I had to hit [the ball hard] and get in a few runs.”

Aiyana Coleman followed up Peterson with a home run of her own, hitting a three-run bomb into left field and extending the lead 11-5.

Troy scored one run in the top of the seventh inning but couldn’t overcome the Bobcats’ eight run sixth inning to seal a 11-6 win for Texas State.

In the second game of the series, the Trojans struck first in the top of the first inning, scoring three runs to go up 3-0 on the Bobcats.

Texas State answered back in the bottom of the second inning. Coleman scored first for the Bobcats, crushing a solo home run that bounced off the side of the indoor batting cages in centerfield, making it a 3-1 game. The home run by Coleman tied the school record for most home runs in a single season set by Ariel Ortiz in 2017 who hit 15.

The Bobcats later scored another run in the second when Harvey scored on a wild pitch.

Unfortunately for Texas State, the Bobcats were unable to score any more runs as Troy scored another in the third inning and went on to win 4-2.

In the rubber match on Saturday, Troy once again scored first, scoring two runs in the top of the second inning to lead 2-0.

The Bobcats answered back in the bottom of the second. Junior catcher Megan Kelnar hit an RBI single up the middle to cut the lead down to 2-1. Later in the sixth inning, senior left fielder Ciara Trahan hit an RBI single to score another run for the Bobcats and tie the game at 2-2.

However, Troy scored the critical run, hitting an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning to win 3-2.

After the series, Woodard talked about the offensive struggles over the past two games and the need for the team to play smarter, not harder.

“Too early in the game, we were trying too hard and not [being] smart enough,” Woodard said. “We just keep talking about being smarter instead of trying harder, and maybe some kids need to work at it harder. I just feel like on game days, sometimes we try to press, and that doesn’t work for us.”

The Bobcats return to play Tuesday night on the road against the Baylor Bears. Baylor enters the showdown with a 22-23 overall record and a 8-10 record in conference play. Last weekend, the Bears lost their conference series to Arizona State.

First pitch for Texas State-Baylor is set for 6:30 p.m.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc