Softball team falters in clutch
Texas State’s softball team left 12 runners on base in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to 18th-ranked Texas A&M, squandering the chance for a momentum-building win for the final six games of the season.
The loss — before the second-largest home crowd ever at Bobcat Softball Stadium — dropped Texas State to 30-18.
“You can probably go down a list on the things we should’ve capitalized on and didn’t,” head coach Ricci Woodard said. “When you leave 12 runners on base, you have a lot of chances that you didn’t take advantage of. We had plenty of opportunities to win against a very good ballclub, and that’s really where you want to put yourself.”
Texas State (9-9 in the Sun Belt) plays at Appalachian State this weekend, then ends the regular season against UT-Arlington at home next weekend.
Sun Belt honors Rupp — again: Sophomore Randi Rupp was named the Sun Belt’s pitcher of the week for the second straight week and the third time this season. She won all three games in the Bobcats’ sweep last weekend over South Alabama, including a 14-inning doubleheader Saturday. She had 29 strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. She ranks second among Division I pitchers with 266 strikeouts.
Rupp has been the conference’s pitcher of the week five times in her career.
Bobcats go pink: Wednesday night’s game against A&M was Texas State’s annual Pink Game, raising awareness for breast cancer. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by the cousin of Bobcats player Bianca Prado in honor of Prado’s aunt, Peggy Prado Cruz, who died of breast cancer this year.
With family and friends on hand, Prado had two hits, knocked in a run and scored once. It was her first multiple-hit game since the first month of the season.
Golf heads to Bryan: The women’s golf team, which won the Sun Belt tournament in convincing fashion last week, earned a No. 15 seed for the Bryan Regional, which will be May 5-7 at Traditions Club.
Eighteen teams qualified for each of the four regionals across the country, in which six teams will qualify from each to the NCAA championships May 20-25 in Oregon.
It’s the sixth time in the past nine years that the Bobcats are in the regionals.