Ortiz Homers Bobcats Past Texas Longhorns

Next up: Texas State travels to Auburn, Ala., to compete in the Wilson/DeMarini Classic March 3-4.

AUSTIN, Texas – Ariel Ortiz hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Randi Rupp limited the Longhorn offense to five hits as Texas State defeated Texas 2-1 Wednesday evening at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin.

The win, which moved TXST to 10-3 overall, was the Bobcats first victory in Austin since the Feb. 11, 2009, breaking the Longhorns’ 11-game home win streak against Texas State. Texas fell to 11-6 with the loss.

“I keep telling this team they have a really good chance to be a good ball club, and they just beat a really good ball club,” said head coach Ricci Woodard. “This is one of those wins that help us believe we are good instead of me just telling them that. This was a good win for us at this point in the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time.”

R. Rupp moved to 7-1 on the year with her complete game in the circle. She finished with six strikeouts while stranding seven Longhorn runners and holding UT 1-for-13 with runners on base.

Ortiz led the Bobcats with her 2-for-3 performance, which included her fourth homer of the season and a single in the third. Jaelyn Young and Bailee Carter also collected hits on the night. 

“Ariel is one of those players I tell that if she gets a chance to swing the bat, then swing the bat, because the ball jumps off it,” said Woodard. “She Has been working at it real hard and it payed off tonight.”

Ortiz staked the Bobcats a 2-0 lead three batters into the game with her fourth home run of the season. Christiana McDowell drew a one-out walk and took second on a passed ball before Ortiz sent Tiarra Davis’ hanging curveball well over the wall in left. Young followed with a single, but Davis escaped the inning with a strikeout and lineout.

The Longhorns came back with a run of their own in the home half of the first as Stephanie Wong scored on an illegal pitch with one out.

Wong had led off the frame with an infield single, advanced to second on a Devon Tunning single to left and took third on Reagan Hathaway’s groundout. Rupp responded with a groundout to short and her first strikeout of the game to strand the tying run at third.

Texas State put runners on first and second with one out in the second, but neither would come around to score. The Bobcats again put two on in the third, but like the second, but Davis’ came back end the inning without either advancing.

Texas’ Krpec reached on a hit-by-pitch with one out in the fourth. However, Rupp came back with her third and fourth strikeouts of the game to end the inning and keep the Bobcats in front 2-1.

Sara Rupp drew a leadoff walk in the Bobcat sixth and took second three pitches later on a passed ball. However, the junior would be stranded at second as Texas State’s next three batter failed to get the ball out of the infield.

Texas also threatened in the sixth, advancing a runner to third with one out. Rupp then induced a fielder’s choice that saw Corrina Liscano cut down the lead runner at the plate and a fly out to end the inning.

Texas then put the potential tying run on second and potential winning run on first with two gone in the seventh, but Rupp ended the game with her fifth strikeout.

Texas’ Davis (2-3) went all seven innings in the loss, striking out five. 

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