Bobcats softball team wins Sun Belt crown
Texas State secured its first Sun Belt regular-season conference championship this past weekend in a series win over UT-Arlington.
The Bobcats (39-13, 18-5 Sun Belt) were shut out 1-0 in the first game as senior pitcher Randi Rupp (23-9) pitched a complete game but was charged with the loss; UTA’s lone run came on an RBI single in the first inning by catcher Reagan Wright.
Rupp bounced back with a 7-5 win in the second game of a doubleheader; in 3.2 innings she allowed one hit, struck out two and didn’t allow a run.
After falling down 2-0 in the top of the first, the Bobcats scored five runs in the first two innings. Solo home runs by senior shortstop April Ortiz and freshman second baseman Tara Oltmann in the fifth inning extended the Bobcats’ lead.
Rupp recorded another win in the rubber match on Sunday, pitching a complete game while striking out four and allowing one run as the Bobcats won 4-1 on senior day.
For the final out, her twin sister — senior catcher Sara Rupp — came out to catch the final strike.
It was Rupp’s 107th career win, which tied Nicole Neuerburg’s school record she set from 2001-04. Rupp was drafted fourth overall by the Cleveland Comets in last week’s National Pro Fastpitch League draft.
The top-seeded Bobcats earned a first-round bye in this week’s Sun Belt tournament in Lafayette, La. Texas State’s first game will be Thursday at 10 a.m.
Baseball team continues to struggle: Texas State’s baseball tailspin hasn’t let up in nearly three weeks; the Bobcats are 3-9 in their last 12 games dating back to a loss to Texas A&M on April 17.
The Bobcats (23-24-1, 11-13 Sun Belt) dropped their second game in as many matchups to Texas last Tuesday, this one in walk-off fashion. With Texas State leading 10-7 in the ninth inning, UT shortstop David Hamilton — a San Marcos native — hit a grand slam for the Longhorns’ 11-10 win. It was Hamilton’s second home run this season against the Bobcats.
The Bobcats didn’t fare much better over the weekend, losing two of three to Arkansas State on the road, a pair of first- and third-game losses (both 2-1 scores) along with a 10-3 win in the second game.
Texas State hosts Louisiana-Lafayette this weekend before its third and final game against Texas next Tuesday in Austin.