May 13, 2006

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Dawid Bednarek had three hits, two runs, an RBI and his first home run since 2004, while Cody Merrell provided walk-off heroics with a sacrifice fly that scored Cassidy Dresch, pushing Texas State past Texas-Arlington 6-5 Saturday at Bobcat Field.

Texas State (25-27, 17-9 SLC) kept pace with first-place McNeese State, who beat Northwestern State on Saturday, and the win also clinched a spot in the Southland Conference tournament for the `Cats, who climbed five games in front of seventh-place Sam Houston State with four to play.

Texas-Arlington (23-30, 16-11) appeared to have regained its Friday-night winning momentum in the top of the second, going up 3-0 on Daniel Rieder's three-run home run that pushed Robby Winn and Danny Slinkman across the plate.

The Bobcats were held off of the board until the fourth, as the inning got going with Heath Keel's one-out walk and Bednarek's single to center. Pat Crumpton drew a five-pitch walk one batter later, loading the bases for Thomas Field.

Field saw four pitches in his plate appearance, recording an RBI on Texas State's first run of the game with his 12th hit-by-pitch of the season.

Texas State got within one on Dresch's RBI sac fly to right, and the `Cats tied the game when Kyle Jones, who went 4-for-5, singled through the left side, scoring Crumpton to knot the game at 3-3.

The Mavericks ripped back the lead in the seventh, as Winn grounded to short, scoring David McLeod to make the score 4-3. Winn was safe on the play, as Field's throw to first skipped short and past Merrell's outstretched glove.

Adam Moore, who moved to third on the grounder, put UTA up 5-3 on a B.J. Boening wild pitch one batter later.

Dresch reached to open the Bobcat seventh, earning second base after slapping a ground ball at UTA shortstop Kyle Rudy who sailed the throw over the first-base UTA dugout.

Jones moved Dresch to third with a ground-out to second, and Luke Cannon posted his only RBI of the game on a ground ball to short that cut the lead to 5-4.

Bednarek tied the game in the eighth, blasting his first homer of the year over the left field wall to knot the game at 5-5, and after David Wood pitched Texas State out of the Maverick ninth, Dresch again found second base, this time on an errant throw by the UTA third baseman.

Jones dropped a bunt single down the third base line to move Dresch to third, and the Bobcat senior crossed the plate two batters later on Merrell's fly ball to right.

Jones led all hitters with four hits in the game and was one of six Bobcats with an RBI in the one-run win. Bednarek was the only other Texas State multi-hit batter, going 3-for-4. UTA was led at the plate by Rieder, who posted three RBIs and a 3-for-4 outing, while Moore also finished the day 2-for-5 at the plate.

Wood picked up the win for his effort in the ninth, improving to 2-1, while Brandon Endsley took the UTA loss to fall to 0-2.

Texas State and Texas-Arlington will decide the series Sunday, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. at Bobcat Field.