The Bearkats got a solid pitching performance from junior Tomi Garrison in the first game. Huntsville freshman Tayler Gray rocked a two-run home run in game two.
If Sam Houston could have put those two things together at the right time, Saturday might have gone a little different. But it did not and Texas State was able to sweep a Southland Conference doubleheader with a 1-0 win and an 11-3 run-rule victory at Bearkats Softball Complex.
"If we could have put the two games together and switched them around here and there, then we would have had some better results today," SHSU head coach Bob Brock said. "We have to hit and we have to get our pitching situation in a little bit better shape. We just have to come out tomorrow and play hard."
Garrison (8-8) gave the Bearkats (3-4 in SLC, 11-17 overall) a chance to win game one. She spread four hits over seven innings and gave up only one run.
Texas State (5-3, 12-13) got on the board in the top of the second inning. Third baseman Jenna Emery singled to left field and advanced to second on a ground out. Catcher Macie Hair followed with a two-out double to the wall in center field to make it 1-0.
There was still plenty of time for Sam Houston to get back in the game, but Bobcats pitcher Chandler Hall was zoned in. The junior tossed a no-hitter and even took a perfect game into the fifth inning.
Freshman Sarah Allison finally gave the Kats a base runner in the fifth when she reached on an error by the shortstop. But she was thrown out trying to steal second and Hall retired the next seven batters in order to seal it.
"We just didn't hit as well as we can today and things didn't fall our way," Garrison said. "(Hall) pitched a great game."
The Bearkats got more offensive production in the second game, but the pitching was missing.
Texas State exploded for seven runs in the first inning. Hall and Haley Lemons hit back-to-back one-out singles off SHSU starter Courtney Shoenemann. With two outs, Anna Hernandez laced an RBI single up the middle and Emery followed with a three-run home run to left-center field to make it 4-0.
Coralee Ramirez also added an RBI single in the frame and Hall came back around to drive in two more runs with a hit to left field. Just like that it was 7-0.
Sam Houston finally showed signs of life at the plate in the bottom of the second. Allison drew a walk and Gray launched a towering shot off the scoreboard in left field to cut the lead to five.
Shelbi Tucker hit a high flyball to center, which Baker dropped, allowing Tucker to coast into second base. Alyssa Coggins ripped an RBI single to left to pull the Kats to within 7-3.
"It was nice that Tayler Gray got a big hit for us," Brock said. "She has played well all spring. Hopefully that was the start of something and we will come out tomorrow and give them all they can handle."
Texas State added two more runs in the third and put the finishing touches on the win with a two-run blast by Shelby Carnline in the sixth.
The two teams will battle in the series finale today at 1 p.m.
