Katarina Zarate’s solo homer with one out in the eighth inning gave Texas State a 4-3 victory and eliminated South Alabama from the Sun Belt Conference softball on Friday night in San Marcos, Texas.

The loss was a crushing one for the third-seeded Jaguars, who led 3-0 before the second-seeded Bobcats scored three with two outs in the sixth to tie it. Instead, Texas State (44-13) heads to Saturday’s championship game vs. top-seeded Louisiana and South Alabama (32-18-1) heads home to await Sunday’s NCAA Softball Selection Show and see if its season will continue.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth, when South Alabama’s Gabby Stagner extended her school record with her 15th home run of the season. Odalys Cordova later added a two-run double, giving the Jaguars a 3-0 lead.

South Alabama pitcher Olivia Lackie shut the Bobcats out through 5 2/3. Zarate drew a two-out walk to load the bases, then Sydney Harvey singled home a run to make it 3-1.

Texas State leadoff hitter Hannah Earls then dribbled a single up the middle, scoring two to tie the game. Bobcats ace pitcher Jessica Mullins — working in relief of Madison Azua — retired South Alabama in order in the seventh and eighth innings, sending the game to the bottom of the eighth.

After Lackie got Karmyn Bass to pop up for the first out, Zarate drilled the first pitch she saw over the left field wall for the Texas State win. Lackie (23-9) went the distance for the Jaguars again after pitching 12 innings on Thursday, allowing four runs on seven hits with five walks and six strikeouts in 7 1/3.

Here’s video of Zarate’s homer:

Mullins (29-8) got the win for Texas State, allowing a run on one hit with nine strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Azua gave up two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in 3 2/3.

Louisiana 4, Troy 2

Like South Alabama, fifth-seeded Troy led much of the way before one bad inning late in the game.

Victoria Valdez’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth put the Ragin’ Cajuns on top for good. After Troy (34-23) put two runners on with two outs in the top of the seventh, Chloe Riassetto came on to give Libby Baker to fly out to center for the final out, ending the Trojans’ season.

Louisiana (43-16) scored a run on an error in the first, but Baker’s two-run single in the third gave the Trojans the lead. Two-way standout Baker (15-12) made it stand up in the circle until the sixth, when Sam Roe walked and Brooke Ellestad singled with two outs.

That brought up Valdez, who smoked a first-pitch three-run shot to left.

Sam Landry (24-8) got the win for Louisiana, allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Riassetto, who actually started the game and pitched the first 1 1/3 innings before re-entering in the seventh, picked up her eighth save.

The Sun Belt championship game takes place at 1 p.m. Saturday.