Wednesday, April 15, 2015
PERFECTION: Texas State's Randi Rupp Throws First Career Perfect Game
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Randi Rupp struck out nine batters and had a stellar defense behind her as the Mont Belvieu, Texas native threw the first perfect game of her career and first Texas State perfect game since 2008 as the Bobcats defeated Houston Baptist by a score of 12-0 Wednesday evening.
Rupp sent all 15 batters she faced back to the dugout as her perfect game consisted of nine strikeouts, five fly outs and one ground out. The closest that the Huskies would come to breaking up the game came in the top of the fourth with one out as Victoria Granchelli hit a ball out to shallow left field. Bobcat left fielder Lexi Fryar made the play, a diving one, to get Granchelli out and to keep Rupp’s perfect game intact.
Along with Rupp’s strong showing in the circle, the Bobcat offense had a day themselves. Four Bobcats recorded multi-hit games led by Kendall Wiley and Kelli Baker with three apiece. Baker finished with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate with a triple, double, and a single. Wiley finished the day going 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. The Bobcats finished with 14 total hits and eight Bobcats contributed to that total. Every Bobcat who stepped up to the plate made it on base in some form or fashion.
Texas State jumped out of the gates early against the Huskies, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Baker led the charge in the first at bat for the ‘Cats with a triple to left centerfield. She quickly crossed home in the next at bat as Ariel Ortiz grounded out to the second baseman.
With two outs, Kortney Koroll, Wiley, and Taylor Webb recorded consecutive hits to score the next two runs for the Bobcats. Koroll’s and Wiley’s hits were both singles to put runners on first and second for Webb. Webb proceeded to hit a ball down the right field line for a double to score her runners on the bases. Webb now has five RBI in the last four games on four hits.
After a scoreless second passed, the Bobcats sent 15 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third inning. Texas State put a nine spot up in the third with six hits and three runners left on the bases. The Bobcats scored three runs before the first out and continued to play small ball as the inning pursued.
With the win, the Bobcats improve to 25-19 overall and Rupp moves to 17-12 on the year. Rupp has now struck out a conference-high 236 batters this season. Rupp’s perfect game is the first gem thrown by a Sun Belt Conference team this season. South Alabama alumna Hannah Campbell owns the last one thrown on March 20, 2014.
Texas State will now hit the road to Mobile, Ala. for a three-game series against No. 22 South Alabama this weekend. The Bobcats and the Jaguars will play in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday before a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com.
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No. 22 Jag Softball Knocks Off Mississippi State on Wednesday
STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 22 University of South Alabama softball jumped ahead of Mississippi State by three runs and staved off a series of Bulldog rallies across the final three innings to win, 3-2, on Wednesday night at MSU Softball Field.
USA (32-7) went up, 1-0, in the top of the fourth and scratched two more across an inning later, with Mississippi State (31-13) inching closer with a run a piece in the fifth and sixth frames, but Jaguar senior Farish Beard recorded her first career save against a Bulldog club that has come back to win on 14 occasions this year.
"This was a really well-played game tonight – it kind of had a postseason feel to it," said USA head coach Becky Clark. "It was a great win for us on the road. I felt like our kids were prepared, I felt like they competed, and I felt like they were composed the entire game. I'm proud of our effort tonight."
USA moves to 10-2 on the road this year and evens its record versus Southeastern Conference opponents to 2-2, having now defeated the Bulldogs and South Carolina in 2015.
The Jaguars improve to 4-2 all-time versus Mississippi State, having now won the last four matchups against the Bulldogs.
After a leadoff double to left field, Jaguar senior shortstop Kaitlyn Griffith moved to third on sophomore Amanda Minahan's infield base hit and then scored on senior left fielder Blair Johnson's RBI groundout to second base, which put South Alabama on the board first.
Sophomore Chloe Rathburn then tripled USA's lead in the top of the fifth with a two-run single that fell inches short of clearing the bases, which were full after freshman Kristian Foster and Griffith drew walks to bookend a fielder's choice which allowed Pilkington to reach.
Freshman Kaleigh Todd pinch ran for Foster at first and scored the first run, followed by Pilkington, as USA grew a 3-0 lead.
Bulldog center fielder Loryn Nichols reached on a Jaguar throwing error to lead off the bottom of the fifth and then later scored on Caroline Seitz's two-out single up the middle, as Mississippi State pulled back a two-run deficit after five complete.
USA went down in order in the top of the sixth, and the Bulldogs led off the bottom half of the frame with back-to-back singles from pitcher Alexis Silkwood and catcher Katie Anne Bailey. At this point, McGill was exchanged for Beard, who struck first baseman Erika Gaul out swinging before shortstop Kayla Winkfield lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to plate pinch-runner Madison Arroyo to make it a one-run game.
Beard escaped the inning with a strikeout and led off the bottom of the seventh in the same fashion. Beard then dealt a pair of walks on either side of a forced pop up to first, but sealed the Jaguar victory by batting down Silkwood's bouncer back up the middle and making the throw to first.
Rathburn finished 1-for-3 with two RBI, marking her team-leading 15th multiple-RBI games this season. Griffith and Pilkington recorded a hit and run apiece, while Todd scored for the sixth time in her last six appearances. Minahan was 1-for-3 and has now reached safely in her last 16 contests.
Johnson's RBI moved her into a tie for second in Jaguar history in the category, as the Kimberly, Ala., native is now equal with former USA standout Christin Crocker with 115 in her career.
McGill carried a no-hitter 3 1/3 innings on Wednesday, recording her seventh victory in a row after striking out three to one walk and allowing two runs (one earned) on four Bulldog hits in five innings pitched. Beard allowed no runs or hits and struck out three to a pair of walks in two innings.
Mississippi State's Alexis Silkwood (22-10), a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Week over the past two voting periods, suffered the loss after allowing three runs (all earned) on four Jaguar hits in a complete-game effort.
South Alabama returns to Sun Belt Conference play this weekend when it hosts Texas State in the final regular-season league home series of the year. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. as does Sunday's finale.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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Six-run first sends Horns past Mavs
AUSTIN – Texas jumped out of the gates with a six-run first inning to defeat UT Arlington 8-0 on Wednesday night at McCombs Field.
The Longhorns (28-12) scored six runs on two outs, including a grand slam, in the opening frame to deflate the Mavericks (26-20) in nonconference action. The Mavericks finished with just one hit overall in the contest, a liner through the infield by Shelbi Sikes in the fourth.
"I was kind of disappointed with our approach at the plate," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "We took way too many pitches and didn't compete when we got two strikes. That is something that we can control and go to work on to fix before the weekend."
Fox said that the objective for the team in the matchup was to gain experience from the situation of playing a top program.
"Overall, we came here and accomplished what we needed to," Fox said. "We have to get used to playing in big venues like this, we have to be used to playing top-25 teams, and we have to be used to the situations that these games bring on. I think we are taking baby steps and that our future is bright."
The Mavericks return to action on Saturday when they begin a three-game Sun Belt series against Georgia State. The teams open the series with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
UTA starter Sam Montes was a pitch away from getting out of the opening-inning jam. Following a walk and a single to open the game, Montes would get the next two out before a single through the right side of the infield scored a pair.
The damage continued with consecutive singles to load the bases and Randel Leahy's grand slam stretched the lead to 6-0. Montes fell to 13-11 with the loss as she was relieved by Taylor Simmonds to start the second.
Simmonds was a bright spot for the Mavericks as she was able to settle the team down from the circle. Simmonds pitched 3.2 innings, giving up two runs (one earned), while striking out two. The lone earned run came in the final at-bat as the Longhorns hit a home run to complete the run-rule.
NOTES: Texas improved to 23-2 all-time in the series. … The meeting was the first between the programs since 2011. … UTA's last win over the Longhorns came in 2001.