On the strength of three home runs, including two in a five-run first inning, Texas State defeated UTSA, 6-1, in the rubber game of a three-game Southland Conference series on Saturday at Bobcat Field.

With the win, the Bobcats improved to 28-13 overall and maintained a stranglehold on first place in the conference standings at 16-5. The Roadrunners fell to 21-20 and 14-10.

The Bobcats exploded for five runs on the strength of two home runs in the bottom of the first. Alex Newton sent the first pitch of the frame over the left field fence for her first round-tripper of the season to give Texas State a quick 1-0 lead. Taylor Hall then drew a one-out walk and scored on a single and throwing error by the Roadrunners. Following a groundout, McKenzie Baack walked to put runners at first and third and Ali McCormack then drilled a 3-0 pitch over the fence in left to put the Bobcats up, 5-0.

Ryan Kos went deep over the center field fence in the fourth inning to increase the Bobcats’ lead to 6-0.

Freshman Caitlyn Ivy joined the long ball party with a mammoth blast over the fence in center field in the top of the sixth, her fourth home run of the season.

That was all the scoring UTSA could muster against Chandler Hall, who struck out nine and allowed just one earned run on four hits in running her record to 18-7.

Junior Krista Sitka, sophomore Emily Humpal and freshmen Ashley Kappler and Morgan Luksa joined Ivy in the hit column for the Roadrunners. Humpal (11-9) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs in one frame.

The Roadrunners will step out of conference play for six games over the next two weeks, beginning with a doubleheader at Houston Baptist at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15.