March 25, 2006

Box Score

LAKE CHARLES, La. - Cassidy Dresch and Dawid Bednarek drove in two runs each, while Dan Donaldson tossed a career-high eight innings as Texas State beat McNeese State 5-4 Saturday in Lake Charles.

Justin Fiske came on to pitch the ninth inning, striking out three to earn his first save in a Bobcat uniform.

McNeese State (14-9, 2-3 SLC) scored first, plating a run in the bottom of the second on Thomas Zabasky's RBI double into the left-center gap.

Jeramie Broussard scored on the play to give the Cowboys a 1-0 lead, but McNeese left a pair of runners in scoring position in both the second and third innings, as the Cowboys stranded ten in the game.

Texas State (12-16, 8-3 SLC) waited until the seventh inning to take the lead, as the stretch inning started with David Wood's one-out double that skipped off of the bag at first and rolled down the right-field line.

After an Elliott Babcock hit-by-pitch put two on, Bednarek took a one-strike pitch into left center for a double, moving Wood and Babcock across to put the `Cats on top 2-1 with two outs.

Texas State added to the lead when after a Thomas Field walk, Dresch laced a single into right to score Bednarek from second.

Field, who moved to second on the play, scored one batter later when Kyle Jones singled through the right side to give the Bobcats a 4-1 lead.

Texas State added a needed insurance run in the ninth, as Bednarek doubled to left center for the second time to open the inning.

Field sacrificed the Bobcat catcher to third with a bunt, and with the infield pulled in to prevent a ground-ball run, Dresch blooped a fly ball over the McNeese middle infield for an RBI single that put Texas State up 5-1.

Chris Hill came on in the McNeese ninth after Donaldson faced two batters in the inning, and with the bases loaded, McNeese third baseman Bryan Cartie lifted a double into right center that cleared the bases and put the Cowboys back only a run.

With Cartie standing two bases away from tying the game, Fiske came on to get his first save of the year, as the Bobcat junior fanned three straight to snap Texas State's three-game losing skid.

Dresch finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Bednarek went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Jones posted an RBI in a 1-for-5 outing that pushed his hitting streak to nine games, while Luke Cannon extended his season-long hitting streak to 18 games with a first-inning triple off of McNeese State starter Sam English.

English did not figure on the decision after coming out of the game in the sixth. Tyler Stutes took the loss for the Cowboys, dropping his record to 0-1 on the year.

Donaldson improved to 3-2 after striking out four and surrendering three runs on five hits.

The Bobcats and Cowboys will conclude the series Sunday, with first pitch in the game-three rubber-match slated for 1 p.m. at Cowboy Diamond.