Box Score - Texas State 3, South Alabama 0.pdf

MOBILE, Ala. – Texas State's Randi Rupp picked up her third win of the series as the University of South Alabama softball team fell 3-0 Sunday afternoon to the Bobcats in the Sun Belt Conference series finale at Jaguar Field.

South Alabama (24-15, 6-10 SBC) will begin a seven-game road stretch with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Texas-Arlington.  USA and UTA will open up with a doubleheader on Friday, April 14 (4 / 6 p.m.) and then close out the series on Sunday, April 15 with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.

Sunday's shutout marked the sixth straight in the series for Texas State and also extended USA's scoreless streak versus the Bobcats to 45.2 innings.  

The three-straight shutouts to Texas State over the weekend also marked the first time South has every been shutout in three-straight home games and a three-game home Sun Belt Conference series.  The last time the Jags were shutout all three games of a league series was back during the 2012 season at Louisiana-Lafayette (4/6-7).

Following the series with ULL, that 2012 Jaguar club went on to close out the regular season by winning 10 of its last 13, and won its first Sun Belt tournament title and made its first NCAA Regional appearance.

The story of the game and the series for Texas State (29-8, 11-3 SBC) was the pitching of the junior right-hander.  In her seven innings of work on Sunday, Rupp (19-5) allowed just two hits and four Jaguar base runners, while striking out six and walking two.  The two-hit shutout was her seventh of the season.

With Devin Brown out due to illness, Destin Vicknair (10-8) pitched her third-straight complete game of the series, allowing just the three runs on five hits and striking out four.  Vicknair also had one of South Alabama's two hits in the loss.  Kristian Foster was 1-for-2 with a walk for the Jags.

Texas State got on the board first with back-to-back home runs by Webb and Davis to lead off the second inning.  Webb's shot came on the very first pitch she saw from Vicknair and stayed just inside the foul pole – her eighth of the season and second of the series.  Four pitches later, Davis followed with her first home run of the spring to put the Bobcats up 2-0.  

The home runs marked the first time South has given up back-to-back homers since May 8, 2015 against Louisiana-Lafayette.  

The Bobcats added another run in the top of the fourth, extending their lead out to 3-0.  Liscano led off the inning with a double to the gap in left center – Texas State's fourth extra-base hit of the day and 10th of the series – and two batters later, the Bobcat third baseman came home on Bailee Carter's RBI ground out.

Those three runs would be all Rupp would need as she closed out the game as she retired 12 of the final 14 Jag batters that she faced, including the side in the bottom of the seventh – her third 1-2-3 inning of the contest.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
    
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub

—USA—