SAN MARCOS, Texas | After South Alabama had pulled within a run and had the bases loaded, Texas State's Madison Azua tossed two-and-a third innings of scoreless relief as the Bobcats later added a pair of insurance runs to take the series with a 5-2 win Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.

With the loss, the Jaguars fall to 15-22 on the season and 4-6 in Sun Belt play, while the Bobcats move to 24-11 overall and 7-4 in the league.

Presley Lively scored a run and reached twice – single and a walk – while Gabby Stagner also had a hit, a walk and scored a run.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the missed opportunities and making adjustments: "We had opportunities today, but we couldn't get the big hit when we needed it. There were some places in there where we were battling and fighting, and pushed a couple runs across. We need to do a better job of making adjustments. We have to do a better job of going at the bottom of (Texas State's) order. We let them get something going down at the bottom (of the lineup). It's two days in a row that we've put their eight-hole hitter on, and we have to make an adjustment there. That got the big inning started for them. 

"We have to make adjustments at the plate. We're putting too many balls in the air by either swinging at something up out of the zone, or not being on time. Good clubs know how to make adjustments as they go; we're not doing that right now. If we're going to be a good softball team, we need to figure out how to do that." 

How It Happened 
•    Lively reached on a one-out, bunt single in the opening frame, and the freshman moved into scoring position one batter later on a fly out in foul territory. She would be left there though as Emma Strood induced another fly out along the right field line.
•    Ciara Trahan became the first baserunner for the Bobcats as she was hit by a pitch with one away in the bottom of the second. Karmyn Bass then drew a walk, and the two base runners moved into scoring position on a ground out to short, but Frankie Andujo was able to track down a pop out in shallow left to end the scoring threat.
•    In the bottom of the third, Sydney Harvey drew a leadoff walk, who moved to third one play later when Erin Peterson reached on an error, while trying to sacrifice the runner over. Peterson then stole second to put a pair in scoring position. Two batters later, Texas State jumped out in front as Keely Williams singled back up the middle to score a pair (TXST, 2-0). Alyana Coleman followed with a RBI single of her own, scoring Williams from second, who had moved to second on the previous play on the throw home (TXST, 3-0).
•    South Alabama answered back the next half inning with some one-out run production. Lively reached for the second time with a leadoff walk to begin the top of the fourth, and two batters later, Stagner lined a single to shallow right center. Megan Davidson then put the Jags on the board as she lined a single to left, scoring Lively from second and putting runners at second and third (TXST, 3-1). Sidney Lee then cut the deficit to one as she reached on a RBI fielder's choice (TXST, 3-2). Caitlyn Gavin loaded the bases one batter later with a check-swing single when no one covered the bag at second.
•    South Alabama had a chance to tie the game up its next time up. Amity White lined a double to right to begin the fifth for the Jags, and Lively then moved the right fielder to third with a sacrifice bunt. With two out, Stagner drew a walk to put runners at the corners, but game-one starter Azua (14-4) entered in relief and was able to get a pop out to short to strand the tying run at third.
•    Texas State capitalized on the missed scoring opportunity the next half inning with a run of its own. Bailee Slack lined a single through the left side to begin the Texas State fifth, and with one out, Coleman put runners at the corners with a single off the wall in right. The Bobcats got a run back on Trahan's sac fly to center (TXST, 4-2).
•    Bubela drew her second walk of the game with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and Harvey reached on a Jaguar fielding error to put two on for Texas State. The Bobcats later added an unearned insurance run on Slack's RBI single to left (TXST, 5-2). The two-out hit by Slack was Texas State's first of the weekend, as it had been 0-for-12 prior. 

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 34th in the all-time series and the 19th in San Marcos 
•    Prior to the two third-inning RBI singles, the Bobcats had been 0-for-12 in the series with runners in scoring position
•    With her first-inning single, Lively has now reached base in her first plate appearance 16 times this spring
•    Lively has had a hit or a walk in 20 of her last 25 outings, and reached base safely in 29 of her 37 games this spring
•    Lively has scored at least one run in nine of her last 13 games, compiling a total of 11 runs over that stretch, and scored a run in 24 games this spring
•    With her base hit, Gavin has reached base safely in seven of her last eight games
•    Stagner has also reached base in 24 of her last 28 and all but four of her 37 games this season
•    With her fifth-inning double, White has had at least one hit in five of her last seven

Up Next
•    South Alabama will close out the series on Sunday with game three of the series set for a 12 p.m. first pitch at Bobcat Stadium.

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