April 15, 2005

Box Score

MONROE, La. - Through seven innings Friday night, Texas State looked as if it would win on a Friday for the first time in four tries, but Louisiana-Monroe put four runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth on the way to a 5-3 win.

Texas State (22-16, 6-7 SLC) put up the game's first run on Nolan Mast's solo home run in the top of the fourth, and UL-Monroe answered in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single into left field that evened the score at 1-1.

The Bobcats were able to chase ULM starter Matt Green from the game in the seventh when Kyle Jones scored on a wild pitch and Elliott Babcock scored on Jared Bunn's RBI single to center, putting the `Cats on top 3-1 through six and a half innings played.

Scott Moore navigated his way through the seventh, holding the Indians off of the scoreboard, and ULM reliever James Stephens shut down the Bobcats in the top half of the eighth.

UL-Monroe (18-16, 4-9 SLC) began the home half of the eighth with a double, followed by an RBI single that cut the lead to 3-2. An error by Moore put runners at first and second, and B.J. Boening came on in relief after Moore faced three batters in the eighth inning. Another error, this time by Boening, scored the tying run for ULM, and the Indians took the lead on an RBI single. A wild pitch brought home the fourth Indian run of the inning, making the score 5-3 through eight complete.

Stephens got into a jam in the ninth, but with two outs and runners at the corners, the ULM hurler got Cody Ross to lift a fly ball into right for the game's final out.

Stephens' two innings of relief work were enough for the win, putting his record to 2-1 on the season, while Moore took the loss for the Bobcats, dropping his record to 4-3 on the season despite pitching seven innings, giving up four runs (three earned), five hits and striking out five.

Babcock was the only Bobcat with more than one hit in the contest, going two-for-four with a run scored. Bunn went one-for-four with an RBI, and the Bobcats' only other RBI came on Mast's sixth home run of the season in the fourth inning.

The Bobcats and Indians will play game two of the three game series on Saturday, with first pitch at Indian Field slated for 3 p.m.