Feb. 28, 2006

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Luke Cannon hit his team-leading third home run of the season and his third in as many games, but Baylor used a seventh-inning RBI triple and stopped a ninth-inning Bobcat rally Tuesday to win 4-3 at Bobcat Field.

Texas State (3-10) lost its fifth one-run contest of the year, while Baylor (7-2) won its second-straight.

The Bobcats fought through two quick outs in the ninth inning, as Baylor reliever Jeff Mandell fanned the first two Bobcat hitters in the inning.

Aaron Garza, who was down to his last strike, shot the 1-2 offering through the middle and Cannon followed with a single through the right side to leave two on for Cody Merrell.

Mandell, who picked up his third save of the season, coaxed Merrell into a two-strike foul-fly to first baseman Ben Booker to secure the one-run win.

Baylor took its initial lead in the fourth inning, when third-baseman Tim Jackson notched his first two RBIs in a Bear uniform with a left-center field double that scored Seth Fortenberry and Beamer Weems to put the Bears up 2-0.

The Bears extended the fourth-inning lead when Jackson crossed the plate on Seth Hammock's RBI single through the middle.

Texas State evened the score in the bottom of the fifth, Thomas Field and Jared Bunn each reached base with two-out singles.

Cannon then ripped into the first pitch of the at bat, lifting the 0-0 pitch over the left-field wall for his first opposite field home run of the season, tying the game at 3-3.

Texas State posted a pair of quick outs to open Baylor's next scoring inning, but Weems supplied the Bears with their first runner of the seventh with a two-out single into right.

The Bears' next batter, Zach Dillon, smoked Jason Baca's 1-0 pitch over the head of Bobcat center fielder Heath Keel, and after the ball hit midway up the outfield wall, it skipped over Keel's head back toward the infield.

Dillon managed to find third base, recording his first triple and tenth RBI of the year, which proved to be the game winner for the Bears.

Baca, who gave up one run in the game, took the loss for the `Cats and fell to 0-1, while Nick Cassavechia tossed one-third of an inning to pick up the win and improve to 2-0.

Cassavechia came on with two outs and the bases loaded in the Bobcat sixth, and the right-handed sophomore put Field down on strikes to preserve the 3-3 tie and set up the game-winning Baylor run.

Baylor had three players post multi-hit games, led by Jackson's 2-for-4, two RBI outing. Jackson also scored a run for the Bears, while Weems crossed the plate twice in a 2-for-3 night at the plate.

Dillon finished the game with one RBI while going 2-for-4.

Cannon led the Bobcats with his third-straight multi-hit game, driving in three while scoring a run and going 2-for-4 at the plate. Seven more Bobcats would reach by base hit, while Bunn and Field accounted for the other two Bobcat runs.

Texas State left ten runners stranded for the second time this season, and Merrell recorded his SLC leading eighth hit-by-pitch of the year.

Texas State opens conference play Friday at Stephen F. Austin, as the Bobcats travel to Nacogdoches for the first time since the 1995 season, the last season SFA fielded a baseball squad.