March 17, 2006

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Scott Moore tossed eight innings and tied his career mark for strike outs with ten, but Southeastern Louisiana spoiled the senior's start with five ninth-inning runs to beat Texas State 6-4 Friday at Bobcat Field.

Luke Cannon extended his hitting streak to 13 games in the loss, but Texas State (9-13, 5-2 SLC) saw its bullpen surrender five runs and a late-game lead, as Southeastern improved to 10-8 on the year and 2-2 in league play.

The Lions scored the game's first run in the third inning when catcher Ricky Newman reached on a lead-off walk and was bunted to second by Ty Summerlin.

Richard Imhoff walked, and with runners at first and second, SLU executed a double-steal to leave runners in scoring position with one out.

The next Lion hitter, Bryan Fritcher, hit a ground ball that clipped Moore's glove and shot over toward second baseman Casey Guest.

Guest scooped up the ball and fired to second base to get the lead runner, but Thomas Field's double-play attempt was not in time as Frichter drove home the game's first run on the RBI fielders' choice.

Texas State answered the Lion score with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, beginning with Cassidy Dresch's single through the middle to start the inning.

Cannon saw three pitches in the next at bat, ripping Jeremy Mizell's 1-2 offering into the right-center field gap for his second triple of the season. Dresch, who made his first appearance since Feb. 10 (vs. New Mexico), scored from first on the play to tie the game at 1-1.

One batter later, Cody Merrell lifted a fly ball into center field deep enough to score Cannon from third, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 lead on Merrell's team-leading 19th RBI of the season.

Texas State added to the lead in the seventh, as Dawid Bednarek executed a squeeze bunt to score Kyle Jones, and Field ripped a single into left center that scored Guest from third, putting the Bobcats on top 4-1.

Kyle Gembler came on to relieve Moore in the ninth, and after walking Tony Suarez to start the inning, Gembler gave up three singles to give the Lions their first run of the inning, cutting the Bobcat lead to 4-2.

Summerlin would then lift a one-out fly ball into right field that scored Ryan Spencer from third base, and after Jason Baca came on to pitch with two outs in the inning, Imhoff ripped a two-out single into center to score Kyle Ginn and tie the game at 4-4.

Southeastern set up the game winning runs with a Jason Waguespack walk that loaded the bases, as Fritcher posted his second and third RBIs of the game on a right-field single that plated Imhoff and Dillon Sudduth.

Baca managed to secure the inning's final out by striking out Suarez in his second plate appearance of the inning, but the `Cats were unable to scratch out any ninth-inning runs, as Mizell recorded his first complete game of the season and improved to 5-1 with the win.

Gembler took the loss for Texas State, falling to 0-1 in his first-ever collegiate decision.

Fritcher finished the day 2-for-5 with three RBIs for the Lions, while Kyle Jones went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Bobcats. Cannon, Merrell, Bednarek and Field each posted one RBI in the loss.

Texas State will attempt to even the series Saturday, as the Bobcats and Lions continue the series with a 3 p.m. game at Bobcat Field. The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.