No. 3 Texas State upends No. 2 South Alabama, 5-0

Mobile, Ala. – The No. 3 seed Texas State claimed a 5-0 win against host and No. 2 seed South Alabama on Thursday afternoon to advance to the winner’s bracket final of the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship.

Texas State (38-18) will now play the No. 1 seed UL Lafayette for a spot in Saturday’s championship game of the tournament. The loser of that game will face an elimination game to earn a bid to the championship game. South Alabama (32-17) with the loss falls into the loser’s bracket and faces elimination games the rest of the tournament.

The Bobcats broke open a scoreless game in the top of the third inning by plating four runs. Sophomore Ariel Ortiz drove in senior Kelli Baker, who doubled with one out to start the rally, on a sacrifice fly. Junior Corrina Liscano walked before sophomore Taylor Webb doubled to left center to score Liscano and junior Kimberlin Naivar. Senior Kendall Wiley singled down the right field line to plate Webb and put the Bobcats up 4-0.

Ortiz tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning with another sacrifice fly to plate Naivar, who reached base on a triple.

Texas State sophomore Randi Rupp scattered eight hits and struck out eight to claim her 10th shutout victory of the season and improve to 28-10 this year. South Alabama freshman Devin Brown (20-11) tossed seven innings and gave up five earned runs on seven hits and struck out 10 in the losing effort.

The 2016 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship continues on Thursday with two elimination games from Jaguar Field in Mobile, Ala.

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