Rupp, Wiley Shine In Texas State Softball's Doubleheader Sweep Over South Alabama
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sophomore pitcher Randi Rupp and senior first baseman Kendall Wiley shined Saturday afternoon as they helped lead the Texas State softball team to a doubleheader sweep over second place South Alabama. The ‘Cats won game one by a score of 3-1 before shutting out the Jaguars 3-0 in game two.
Rupp, after striking out 12 and pitching all seven innings in game one of the day, stepped up in game two and was hitless through six and a third against the Jaguars. The decision to pitch Rupp wasn’t an easy one, but it worked out in the Bobcats’ favor.
“When Randi Rupp is throwing like that, you have the chance to win against anybody in the country in my opinion,” said head coach Ricci Woodard. “The game time decision to go ahead and keep going with her was obviously an iffy call, but I just felt like she had her best stuff going for her today and we just kept riding it out.”
Rupp was supported by a Bobcat team that scored six runs on 14 hits throughout Saturday including a 5-for-6 effort from the plate with a double and three RBIs by Wiley.
“Offensively I thought we did a great job, especially in some key situations,” added Woodard. “Kendall Wiley did exactly what she’s been trying to do for the last couple of weeks. She’s been working out a lot harder and it’s nice to see all of that pay off.”
Rupp allowed just six Jaguar hits and one earned run. The Bobcats improved to 29-17 on the season and 8-9 in Sun Belt Conference play.
WHO STOOD OUT
Randi Rupp / P / Sophomore / Mont Belvieu, Texas
Rupp finished Saturday with 14.0 innings pitched and 20 strikeouts. In the first game of the day going against Devin Brown, the league leader in strikeouts entering today, Rupp won the strikeout battle 12 to 10. Her opponents today registered just six hits and in game two, she was two outs away from her third career no-hitter. Rupp now has nine double-digit strikeout games this season. She improved her overall recorded to 21-9 this season.
Kendall Wiley / 1B / Senior / Austin, Texas
Wiley finished Saturday going 5-for-6 from the plate with a double and three RBIs. She went a perfect 3-for-3 in game one and in game two she ended up on base after all three at bats. The three hits in game one was just the second time this season Wiley had a three-hit game. She now has nine multi-hit games this season including three out of the last four games.
Sara Rupp / C / Sophomore / Mont Belvieu, Texas
In addition to a solid day behind the plate for her twin, Rupp helped the Bobcats offensively by rattling off two hits in game two. It was the first game this season Rupp had more than one hit in a game. She finished the day going 2-for-4 for Texas State with 20 putouts, one assist, and zero errors.
SCORING
GAME ONE
Bottom 2nd – Corrina Liscano used a 13-pitch at bat to register the first Texas State hit of the ball game. A bunt single by Taylor Webb put runners on first and second before Jaelyn Young drew a walk to load the bases. With one out, Kendall Wiley recorded a single up the middle to score Liscano, giving Texas State a 1-0 lead. (1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on base)
Top 4th – With one out and a runner on first, Amanda Minahan tied the ball game up with an RBI double to left centerfield. (1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on base)
Bottom 6th – After a strikeout to start the inning, Webb and Young drew back-to-back walks to get a runner in scoring position. With two outs, Wiley recorded her third hit of the ball game to score both runners on base and give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead. (2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on base)
GAME TWO
Bottom 2nd – Liscano led the inning off with an eight-pitch walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Webb. Young went on to register her first hit of the day, a single down the right field line, to score Liscano. (1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on base)
Bottom 6th – After Sara Rupp walked with one out, Wiley tallied her fifth hit of the afternoon with a single down the right field line. Prior to Wiley’s at bat, Kayleigh Norte came in to pinch run for Rupp. Norte advance to third on Wiley’s single and on the throw to try and get Norte at third, Wiley put herself in scoring position. A fielding error by the South Alabama shortstop during Bianca Prado’s at bat scored Norte for the first run of the inning. Kelli Baker stepped up to the plate after Prado and drove in the third run of the game with a single to right field. (2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 left on base)
NOTES
In game one, South Alabama left runners on second or third without scoring a run. In the third and the fifth innings, the runner on third was stranded after Randi Rupp recorded a strikeout for the final out of each inning.
Pitchers Randi Rupp and Devin Brown (South Alabama) combined for 481 strikeouts coming into the weekend. After game one with a combined 22 strikeouts, the two surpassed the 500 mark. Rupp and Brown both ranked in the top four in the nation coming into Saturday.
Texas State improves to 4-1 overall against South Alabama with all five contests occurring at the Bobcat Softball Stadium.
With 256 strikeouts this season, Rupp has now surpassed Brown as the league-leader in that category. Rupp has also lowered her season ERA to 1.64 after allowing her first earned run in five appearances.
NEXT UP
The Bobcat and the Jaguars will conclude the series Sunday morning with a single game at 11 a.m.
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Cajuns Sweep App State Behind Big Second Innings
LAFAYETTE – A second inning outburst in both ends of a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader with Appalachian State on Saturday guided the No. 7-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team to a 13-4, 14-2 sweep of the Mountaineers in a pair of five inning contests at Lamson Park.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (34-6, 15-1 Sun Belt) broke free from a 1-1 tie in the opener with a nine-run second inning that was jumpstarted by a solo home run from Sara Corbello, her ninth of the season which established a new personal single-season best total.
In the nightcap, Louisiana sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs in the second inning to open a 14-0 edge. The highlight of the frame was a three-run home run by Shellie Landry that allowed the senior left field to cross the 200 career RBI mark.
The doubleheader sweep secured the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 27th consecutive Sun Belt Conference series victory, a streak which dates back to March 2013. With Texas State's sweep of South Alabama, the Ragin' Cajuns' lead over the Jaguars (26-15, 14-5 Sun Belt) in the loss column in the league standings grew to four games.
No. 7 Louisiana and Appalachian State (9-39, 2-18 Sun Belt) wrap up the three-game Sun Belt series on Sunday with a 12 p.m. single game.
Landry finished the doubleheader 3-for-6 at the plate with two home runs and a team-high six RBI. She collected three RBI each game and moved into the team lead with 14 multiple RBI games on the season.
Haley Hayden, who finished 5-for-8 at the plate with four runs scored and three RBI, posted multiple hits in each game including her fifth three-hit outing of the season. Hayden increased her season total of multiple-hit games to 13, moving into a tie with Lexie Elkins for the team lead.
Louisiana tallied 20 of its 27 runs in the second inning and scored a run in five of its eight at bats. The Ragin’ Cajuns belted six home runs to stretch its NCAA-leading total to 84, moving past 80 homers for the fourth straight season (2013-16).
The Mountaineers pieced together a pair of two-out hits in the first inning of the opener and grabbed a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Heather Josey. Hayden got the run back for the Cajuns in the bottom half on an inside the park home run.
Corbello broke the tie with her solo home run leading off the bottom of the second inning and Landry later delivered a two-run single that brought the lead to 5-1.
Four more runs were pushed across in a series of three straight at bats by DJ Sanders (RBI single), Corbello (bases-loaded walk) and Kara Gremillion (two-run single). An RBI ground out from Kendall Smith made it 10-1 in favor of the Ragin’ Cajuns before App State’s Annaleise Kennedy could end the inning.
After App State plated three runs in the top of the third inning to trim its deficit to 10-4, the Ragin’ Cajuns answered with three runs of their own on home runs by Landry (solo) and Sanders (two-run).
Alex Stewart worked the first two innings for Louisiana before the combination of Kylee Jo Trahan and Macey Smith closed out the final three innings. Smith held the Mountaineers scoreless their final two at bats.
Aleah Craighton provided Louisiana with the early lead in the nightcap by launching a three-run home run to right field. The home run was Craighton’s 26th extra base hit of the season (15th home run) tying her career-high total established as a redshirt freshman in 2015.
The lead swelled to 8-0 just five batters into the second inning. The first two runs came around to cross home plate on a throwing error during a bunt laid down by Kassidy Zeringue. Two batters later, Landry deposited a three-run home run into the left field bleachers.
Louisiana added six more runs for a 14-0 edge before App State reliever Claire Eosso could bring the frame to a close.
The Mountaineers plated an unearned run in the third inning and got a solo home run from Josey in the fourth inning for their scoring output.
The Cajuns went with a three-person rotation in the pitching circle, spearheaded by Stewart who struck out the side in the first inning and allowed only one hit in her two inning-effort before giving way to Victoria Brown and Macey Smith for the final three innings.
DIAMOND NOTES: Saturday’s doubleheader marked the first-ever meetings at Lamson Park between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Mountaineers…Louisiana, which posted a doubleheader sweep in the initial Sun Belt series between the two programs, upped its all-time series lead to 4-0…The twinbill sweep increased the Ragin’ Cajuns win streak at Lamson Park to 16 games (began Feb. 20 vs. No. 5 Oregon)…With multiple home runs in both games, Louisiana has now hit multiple homers in 24 games this season and in each of the last 11 Sun Belt Conference games (dates back to Troy series)…Haley Hayden has now posted a hit in 31 out of 40 games this season…Hayden’s current four-game hitting streak is her ninth different hit streak of the season…DJ Sanders’ home run in Game 1 upped her season RBI total to 41, making her the second Cajuns player to reach 40 RBI this season (joined Lexie Elkins)…With their three-run home runs in Game 2, Aleah Craighton and Shellie Landry joined Sanders and Lexie Elkins in the 40-RBI club…Haley Hayden will enter Sunday’s finale with the Mountaineers two RBI shy of reaching 40 for the third straight season…Alex Stewart received the win in both games of the doubleheader, increasing her season total to 19 which leaves her one win shy of the first 20-win season of her career…Shellie Landry continued her recent hot streak in Sun Belt Conference play and is now hitting .455 (15-for-33) with eight home runs and 21 RBI over the last four league series (TROY, TXST, GSU, APP)…Sara Corbello’s nine home runs surpass her previous career-best total of eight hit as a freshman (2013) and sophomore (2014)…The Ragin’ Cajuns were 10-for-21 with runners in scoring position, the second-highest number of hits w/RISP in a doubleheader this season (trails only 13 hits w/RISP Mar. 19 at UTA)…Attendance for the doubleheader was 1,610 giving the Ragin’ Cajuns a crowd of 1,300-plus for the 12th time in as many playing dates at Lamson Park in 2016.
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Raley Sets School Record for Wins by a Freshman, Eagle Softball Splits Twinbill With Troy
TROY, Ala. – Freshman pitcher Dixie Raley set a new standard Saturday and junior Emily Snider continued to climb up the ranks of the Georgia Southern softball record book as the Eagles split a road doubleheader with Troy University Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference action. GS claimed the first game 8-1 before falling 13-5 in the day’s second game.
Game 1: GS 8, Troy 1
Taylor Rogers and Snider started off the day with a pair of singles before Morgan Robinson walked to load the bases with one out in the day’s first game. Freshman Hannah Farrell then hit a two-RBI single to right field, scoring both Rogers and Snider to put the Eagles up 2-0. Snider’s run scored was the 87th of her career, tying her with Megen Smith for 10th all-time in program history for career runs scored.
The Trojans (27-19, 8-9 SBC) were able to score a run in the bottom of the first to pull to within one, 2-1 before the next two innings progressed scoreless.
In the top of the fourth inning, Georgia Southern (27-20, 11-6) put up four runs to extend the lead out to 6-1. Haley Carter started things off when she scored off a sacrifice fly by Snider and a few batters later, after the Eagles loaded the bases, Farrell hit a single up the middle to score Witkowski and Rogers. Farrell put a cap on the scoring drive when she made it home after the Trojan left fielder mishandled a single from A.J. Hamilton.
In the sixth, India Davis hit a single to left field, scoring Rogers and the Eagles wrapped up their scoring in the top of the seventh when Rogers hit a single through the left side to score Witkowski who had a triple just moments before.
Five Eagles recorded multiple hits in the first game led by Rogers’ 4-for-5 performance. The four hits ties the second-most hits by a player in a single game. Also recording multiple hits were Witkowski, Farrell and Hamilton. Witkowski went 3-for-5 with two runs scored while Rogers scored three herself. Farrell ended the game with four RBI.
The 15 hits by the team is a season-high and were the most since last season when the Eagles had 15 hits in the second game of a doubleheader against Appalachian State on April 3, 2015.
Raley (20-9) entered the day tied for 13th in the nation with 19 wins and then proceeded to pitch a one-hitter against the Trojans. The one hit was the fewest hits allowed by an Eagle pitcher since May 7, 2014 in the first round of the SoCon tournament when Eagle great Sarah Purvis no-hit Elon in a 4-0 GS win. Raley set the school record for wins by a freshman pitcher with 20 and the 20 wins has her currently tied with Purvis for second all-time for wins in a single season.
Ashley Rainey (14-13) was the pitcher of record for Troy, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up five earned runs, 10 hits and a pair of walks.
Game 2: Troy 13, GS 5
The Trojans took their first lead of the day in the day’s second game as they edged out to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning. Georgia Southern was able to cut the deficit to just one when Mann ripped a double to right field, scoring Hamilton from second in the top of the next inning.
Snider evened the score at 2-2 when she blasted her fifth home run of the season in the top of the third. The run scored was the 88th of her career and gave her sole possession of 10th all-time for career runs scored.
In the bottom of the third, Becca Hartley hit a three-run home run to left field to give the Trojans a 5-2 lead, but the Eagles continued to battle hard on offense, scoring a single run in the top of the fourth and another two in the top of the fifth.
Davis scored in the top of the fourth on a wild pitch and then the Eagles continued the scoring drive in the top of the fifth when Snider and Robinson hit back-to-back RBI singles to pull the Eagles to within one. Snider scored Witkowski from second before Robinson drove in Snider. Robinson’s RBI gives her 104 on season which has her solidly fifth in program history for career RBI. When Snider scored, it was her third run of the day and the 89th of her career, tying her with Aurora Johnson for ninth all-time in program history for runs scored.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Trojans scored two runs to extend the lead out to 8-5 and then wrapped up the game with five runs scored in the bottom of the sixth.
Kierra Camp (6-10) started the game for the Eagles and was the pitcher of record with Heather Felt, Amanda Chambers and Kaylee Ramos coming on in relief. Claire Graves (6-4) pitched the first four innings to earn the win for Troy while Rachel Rigney came on to earn her first save of the season in 1.2 innings of work.
COACH SMITH SAYS
“I was really happy to get the win in the first game today because road wins are important. We know Troy is a good team and we came out and battled up and down the lineup today. We have had a lot of quality wins in the past couple weeks including South Alabama, South Carolina and today in the first game. It’s huge for us in our strength of schedule to get wins like those. Tomorrow we have a great opportunity ahead of us and we just need to come out ready to compete.”
UP NEXT
The Eagles and Trojans will play the rubber game on Sunday, April 24. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. ET first pitch.
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Troy Softball Splits in Doubleheader With Georgia Southern
TROY, Alabama – The Troy softball team split in a doubleheader against Georgia Southern Saturday at the Troy Softball Complex. The Eagles topped the Trojans, 8-1, in the first game, but Troy bounced back and was victorious in the second game, 13-5, in six innings.
TROY 1, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 8
Georgia Southern (27-20, 11-6 Sun Belt) had an impressive outing in the first game and racked up eight runs on fifteen hits.
The Eagles jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Hannah Farrell singled to right field and scored Emily Snider and Taylor Rogers.
A four-run fourth inning stretched the Eagles lead to 6-1. A sacrifice fly, RBI single and Troy throwing error all plated runs in the inning.
Georgia Southern added one more run in both the sixth and seventh inning to clinch the 8-1 victory over the Trojans in the first game.
Troy (27-19, 8-9 Sun Belt) scored its only run of the game in the first inning when
Dixie Raley walked Khadija Neely with the bases loaded and, in turn, brought Erica Davis around for the score.
The only Trojan hit came off the bat of Becca Hartley in the bottom of the seventh inning when she singled up the middle.
Raley (20-9) got the win for the Eagles. She pitched a complete game and gave up only one hit and recorded six strikeouts. Ashley Rainey (14-13) suffered the loss for the Trojans in the circle. She gave up six runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
TROY 13, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 5 (6 inn.)
Troy made adjustments between games and came out swinging. Four Trojans had multi-hit games, including Amanda Winters who went 3-for-4. Erica Davis, Becca Hartley and Hannah Day all had two hits each.
Davis got things started in the first when she singled up the middle and scored Kate Benton who was on with an infield single. Neely added to her RBI total when she singled to right field and brought Davis around to score.
Georgia Southern added singled runs in the second and third innings and tied the game back up, 2-2, before Troy plated four runs in the bottom half of the third inning and reclaimed the lead, 6-2.
After the Eagles added a run in the fourth, both teams added two more runs in the fifth inning and made the score 8-5, but a huge five-run sixth inning sealed the deal for the Trojans and they came away with a 13-5 victory.
Day came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and smashed a bases-clearing double to right center to extend Troy's lead 11-5. The final two runs were scored on a wild pitch and a hit by pitch, putting Troy up by eight runs and ending the game after six innings.
Claire Graves (6-4) picked up the win for the Trojans. She gave up three runs on five hits in four innings pitched. Rachel Rigney came in relief out of the bullpen and got the save. She didn't give up any hits and recorded one strikeout in 1.2 innings of work.
The final game of the series is Sunday and scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at the Troy Softball Complex as the Trojans honor their seven seniors prior to the game on Senior Day.
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Mavs, Panthers split Day 1
ATLANTA – UT Arlington and Georgia State split a pivotal Sun Belt doubleheader on Saturday after 29 runs were scored between the two games.
"Our team competed well in both games," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "Tomorrow we need to make some adjustments at the plate and take advantage of our opportunities. We left too many runners on in Game 2 and I suspect we will see that same pitcher."
Fueled by a solid pitching performance by Samantha Clakley and a home run by Britnea Barilli, the Mavs (28-13, 7-10 SBC) took Game 1 from Georgia State (25-24, 8-9 SBC) 8-6 before falling in Game 2, 7-2.
Krista Rude finished the day 5-for-7 with two runs. Barilli recorded a hit in each game to finish the day 2-for-5 with two runs, two walks and a RBI.
Sandra Mendoza went 3-for-7 after knocking hits in each game to extend her hit-streak to 16 games, the second such streak in her career. She started the season recording a hit in each of the first 17 games.
The Mavs and Panthers are back in action on Sunday for the rubber match. First pitch of the is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.
Game 1 UT Arlington 8, Georgia State 6
The Mavs wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two runs in the first, thanks to a two-out double from Kacey Everett that scored Mendoza and Laura.
The Panthers scored one in the bottom of the inning on a double to score Ivie Drake to put the score at 2-1 UTA after the first.
Georgia State stole the lead in the second on a bases-loaded double by Kensey Caldwell to plate three. The Panthers loaded the bases with no outs to start the inning. Clakley posted back-to-back strikeouts before the double by Caldwell.
Both teams went scoreless in the third before the Mavs tied it up in the fourth. After a one-out walk by Barilli and a two-out single by Rude, Shelbi Sikes smoked the first pitch she saw for a double to centerfield to score both.
Barilli broke the 4-4 tie with a solo shot, drilling a 1-0 pitch over the right centerfield fence.
The Mavs extended their lead scoring three in the seventh off a double by Brianna Burchianti, a Sun Belt leading fifth RBI sacrifice fly by Everett and a base hit by Rude.
The Panthers attempted a comeback in the seventh, scoring two, pushing the score to 8-6 before Clakley induced a groundout to Sikes to seal the victory.
Clakley went the distance to record the win, throwing her 18th complete game and improving to 17-9 on the season.
Eight of the nine Mavs starters recorded a hit with Rude going a career-high 4-for-4 with a run. Everett drove in a season-high three runs for the third time this season.
Game 2 UT Arlington 2, Georgia State 7
Mendoza quickly pushed her hitting streak to 16 games with a leadoff single in the opening at-bat. After Curry followed with a base hit to put two on with no outs, the Panthers sat down the next three Mavs in order to erase the early threat.
The Panthers took the early lead on a home run by Drake in the first.
After both teams were retired in order in the second, Mendoza recorded her second hit of the game and Burchianti was hit by a pitch to pose another threat, but a flyout ended the inning.
Back-to-back doubles and a passed ball plated three for Panthers in the third.
The Mavs got on the board in the fifth. Rude recorded her fifth hit of the day with a leadoff single to third. She followed the single with her team-leading 12th stolen base of the season. Sikes drew her team-leading 27th walk of the year to put runners on first and second with no outs. Mendoza laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Rude and Sikes came around to score on wild pitches.
However, just as UTA made its attempt at a comeback, Georgia State responded with three runs in the sixth to push their lead to five.
Mendoza was 2-for-3 in the game, while Barilli and Rude tallied the other two hits for the Mavs.
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Worley's Complete Game Helps GSU Split Doubleheader
ATLANTA – Rebounding from an 8-6 loss to UT Arlington in Game 1, Georgia State used a complete game from senior Katie Worley and a home run from sophomore Ivie Drake to even the series with a 7-2 win over the Mavericks.
Game 1 | UTA 8, GSU 6
UT Arlington scored three runs in the seventh to build an 8-4 lead over the Panthers. GSU rallied in the bottom half, but came up two runs short. Kensey Caldwell went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the game, picking up her 100th career RBI. Caldwell is the 10th Panther to reach the benchmark. Mandy Blackwell also went 3-for-4 in the game and added an RBI.
Mistakes were costly for GSU in the first game. The Panthers committed two errors and walked three batters. Georgia State stranded nine runners in the contest while tallying 12 hits.
Game 2 | UTA 2, GSU 7
Worley got the start in the second game and held UTA to just two runs on five hits. Worley matched her season-high for strikeouts, getting the final batter of the game looking for her 10th of the day.
Worley’s run support came off the bat of Drake, who finished a triple short of the cycle. Drake launched her 12th home run of the season in the first inning to pull within three of the GSU career home run record. Drake currently sits at 35 and needs 38 to tie Callie Alford’s mark set a year ago. Drake struck again in the third inning with an RBI-double and polished off her 3-for-4 game with an RBI-single in the fifth.
Caldwell hit the ball well in Game 2 also, picking up two more RBI on three hits including a double.
After totaling 22 hits in the first two games, Georgia State will go for the series win Sunday at noon. Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GSU_Softball) for the latest news