SAN MARCOS, Texas — Behind strong pitching from
Kaylie Northrop, plus extra-base power from
Emma Jones and
Baylee Morton, App State Softball clinched a Sun Belt road series victory against perennial NCAA participant Texas State by winning 4-1 in Sunday's finale.
The Mountaineers (13-8, 2-1) had one all-time win against Texas State entering the weekend but followed a series-opening loss with a 3-2 victory Saturday. Northrop took a shutout into the seventh inning Sunday and struck out four batters in a complete-game victory with first-team All-Sun Belt pitcher Jessica Mullins on the mound for the Bobcats.
"That's a huge series win for our program against a really good Texas State team," said App State head coach
Shelly Hoerner, who picked up her 100th and 101st wins since arriving in Boone. "I'm super proud of the team. Huge contributions from everybody. I just can't say enough about how prepared we were to come in with our pitching staff and our bullpen catchers doing a great job preparing them and just all the way through the lineup. We're really playing for each other, and it's starting to show."
App State was opening its league schedule against a Texas State program that went 25-4 at home last season and has appeared in four of the last five NCAA tournaments. Morton's 26th career homer, a solo shot to straightaway center, gave the Mountaineers a second-inning lead before Jones led off the third with an opposite-field homer to left-center on the first pitch of the inning.
Jones' two-run double to score
Addison Jones and pinch-runner
Kati Waalk in the sixth provided helpful insurance as Northrop navigated some difficult situations in the later innings. A hit batter and error had put two on base to set up a sacrifice bunt from
Addie Wray.
With App State holding a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Texas State (12-9, 1-2) moved two runners into scoring position with two away, but Northrop posted a strikeout on a two-strike pitch in which the batter's follow through hit a crouched Morton behind the plate.
After Jones' two-run hit doubled the lead in the sixth, the Bobcats loaded the bases with two away in their half. A lineout to
Kayt Houston in right ended that threat with no damage, and a leadoff walk came around to score in the bottom of the seventh, before the game ended on a groundout to short.
Morton and Jones both homered for the third time this season, and Northrop recorded a complete-game victory for the third time in her debut season for the Mountaineers. App State totaled six hits off Mullins, who went 20-6 last season and appeared in all three weekend games against the Mountaineers, including her Game 1 shutout.
App State is scheduled to play its home opener Wednesday with a midweek doubleheader against ETSU.
