SAN MARCOS — Texas State softball went 2-1 in a three-game series against Southeastern Louisiana, concluding Saturday with a 4-1 win.
Coming off Thursday’s 7-0 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas State’s bats struggled to manufacture offense in Friday’s opener, falling 4-0. The Bobcats got their revenge in the second leg of the doubleheader, squeezing out a 1-0 win thanks to a home run by infielder Aiyana Coleman.
Right-handed pitcher Emma Strood got the start Saturday, pitching 3⅔ innings and giving up no runs. The Bobcats did their damage in the fifth inning, racking up four runs on a series of four hits, capped off with a two-RBI double from outfielder Harley Vestal.
Here are some takeaways from Texas State’s series win:
Left-handed ace pitcher Madison Azua struggled in the opener, giving up four runs on 10 hits, despite throwing a complete game. As Texas State leans heavily on Azua, the question has been whether a second starter would emerge to shoulder some of her burden. Last weekend Azua made an appearance in all six games of the River State Classic.
Strood reemerged in the second game as a strong complementary starter, holding SLU to six hits and no runs through five innings pitched. Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard said she’s been battling health issues, which have prevented her from pitching as much as she’d like.
“It was nice to see her be able to throw the ball as well as she did today,” Woodard said.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Chesney Davis also had a strong weekend, throwing four innings through two games and giving up one run on four hits. Limiting Azua’s workload could sharpen the quality of her starts going forward.
Texas State struggled at the plate Friday, scoring only one run through two games on nine hits. Woodard said her bats struggled to make adjustments, recording outs in similar ways.
The Bobcats refused to let that be the case in the deciding game. Outfielder Keely Williams struck out in her first two at-bats, but kicked off the fifth inning with a single to right. The Lions dipped into their bullpen, but it proved fruitless. Texas State had seen Tyler Oubre and Haley Crawford on Friday and looked prepared for them Saturday. After holding the Bobcats to no runs and no hits through three innings in Game 2, the relievers gave up three hits Saturday and only lasted a combined two-thirds innings.
Texas State had three different starters at third base through all three games: Kate Bubela in Game 1, Mayson Garrett in Game 2 and Ava Renteria in Game 3. It’s starkly different from 2025, when Bubela started all 53 games at third.
Although Bubela hit two home runs against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, she made an error in Friday’s loss and has two on the season. The decision to bench her for two straight games is likely not permanent. But it does send a message about what Woodard expects from her veteran defenders.