SAN MARCOS — Lindsey Stewart extended her hitting streak to four games, but Texas State limited UTSA to just three hits in a 3-1 victory in non-conference softball action on Wednesday evening at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
The Bobcats (35-11) managed just four hits and scored just one earned run off the Roadrunners duo of Nicole Merrill and Lizzy Fox, but it proved to be enough in their second win of the season in the I-35 Rivalry.
Madison Kinley and Taylor Oberg joined Stewart in the hit column for UTSA (19-29) in a game that saw just one extra-base hit, a double by Texas State's Lexi Fryar, with the wind blowing in at 15-20 miles per hour.
Stewart led off the game with a single up the middle, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Angelica Nino and to third when Bailee Baldwin reached on a fielder's choice. However, Texas State starter Randi Rupp got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
The Bobcats struck for a pair of runs in the home half of the first. Christiana McDowell drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a throwing error by UTSA off the bat of Corrina Liscano. A bunt single by Ariel Ortiz loaded the bases with nobody out. Taylor Webb lifted a 3-1 pitch into right field for a sacrifice fly that scored McDowell from third. Liscano then came home on a groundout on the right side by Jaelyn Young to make it 2-0.
Texas State padded its lead with a run in the third. With two outs and the bases loaded, Davis drilled a hard ground ball on the left side that was fielded in the hole on a diving stop by third baseman Hailey Garza, but Webb avoided the tag going to third and Ortiz scored on the play to make it 3-0.
UTSA scratched for a run in its final at-bat. Oberg drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a groundout. After a strikeout, Kinley legged out a ground ball to the shortstop and Oberg came around to score after the ball got away from the first baseman on the play. With the tying run at the plate and two down, Texas State got out of the jam with a popup foul ball to the catcher.
Rupp (22-7) earned the win, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits in 5.2 scoreless innings. Quincy Charleston was awarded a save after allowing just one unearned run on one hit in 1.1 frames.
Merrill (6-9) allowed just one earned run (three total) on one hit in 2.2 innings, while Fox tossed 3.1 scoreless frames and allowed just three hits.
The Roadrunners will travel to Boca Raton, Fla., this weekend to face Florida Atlantic (30-18, 10-8 C-USA) in a three-game Conference USA series.
