Texas State softball had no answers Friday night for Louisiana-Monroe pitcher Ashanti McDade through 9 innings. Although McDade hadn’t been perfect, she had gone toe-to-toe with Bobcats pitcher Madison Azua, who struck out centerfielder Brooklin Lippert, bringing the Warhawks’ pitcher back to the circle.

Megan Kelnar came through for the Bobcats (17-8, 1-0 in Sun Belt) in the 10th, lining McDade’s 158th pitch to third base and bringing home Harley Vestal. Texas State opens Sun Belt play with a 1-0 win, thanks primarily to its ace’s impeccable performance. 

Azua threw 133 pitches, allowing five hits, no runs and striking out seven. She found herself in trouble in the sixth inning, walking ULM outfielder Megan Brown to load the bases with two outs. But infielder Carson Jansky could not find a way through Texas State’s defense, lining out to end the threat. Azua only allowed one hit for the rest of the game, and not a single ULM runner made it to scoring position.

Texas State infielder Aiyana Coleman wrecked ULM’s shot at a Sun Belt regular-season title in 2025, recording two back-breaking home runs in the final series of the year. The Warhawks paid her the ultimate respect this time around, intentionally walking Coleman in all four at-bats. Without their main cannon, the Bobcats struggled to bring runners home even when they did collect hits.

Texas State infielder Katarina Zarate left the bases loaded with a groundout in the first inning. Outfielder Keely Williams hit a lead-off double in the third, but was left stranded when ULM caught Coleman trying to steal second.

When Zarate singled with two outs in the 10th to put runners on first and second, Kelnar stepped up to the plate. She reached a full count on McDade’s 156th pitch, which missed the zone, and fouled off her 157th. Then came pitch 158.Â