May 26, 2006

Box Score

BEAUMONT - Texas State put together five runs with two outs in the sixth and David Wood homered to get the Bobcats within one in the ninth, but two Northwestern State homers were too much for the Bobcats in a 9-8 season-ending loss Friday at the SLC Tournament in Beaumont.

Texas State (29-30) got three RBIs out of Luke Cannon in a 2-for-4 outing, while NSU (32-27) saw its top three hitters plus two more post multiple-hit outings in the win.

Northwestern struck first, putting up one in the second on Michael Palermo's RBI double, but Texas State quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a Pat Crumpton double to right center that scored Aaron Garza.

The Demon third saw NSU take back the lead when Brandon Morgan homered to left, and an inning later, the Demons looked to blow the game open when Marty Dewees blasted a three-run shot over the left field wall that put NSU up 5-1.

Both teams posted a pair of scoreless at bats before the Bobcat sixth, when with two outs, Texas State swiped its first lead of the game by scoring five runs to go up 6-5.

Dawid Bednarek drew a two-out walk and scored the innings first run when Crumpton doubled for a second time, this time to the left-field wall.

Thomas Field followed by drawing a hit-by-pitch and Cassidy Dresch drew a walk to load the bases, and the second run of the inning scored when Kyle Jones drew a bases-loaded RBI walk to make the score 5-3.

The walk brought Cannon to the plate, and the senior responded with a bases-clearing double that put Texas State on top 6-6.

Northwestern State bounced back to tie the game in the seventh, as Bobby Barbier led off with a double and later scored on an RBI bounce-out by Justin O'Neal.

An inning later, NSU took the lead on a Morgan double down the left field line to score Scott Pittenger and a bases-loaded walk by Barbier that made the score 8-6.

Justin Fiske took the mound for the second-straight game in relief, and after posting one walk that scored Brandon Morgan, Fiske worked out of the situation to leave NSU up 9-6 after eight and a half.

Cody Merrell singled with one out in the ninth and Wood blasted an opposite-field homer to put the `Cats within one, and after an Aaron Garza hit-by-pitch, Bednarek laced what looked like a single through the middle.

The ball, however, glanced off of the pitcher's foot and into third baseman Miles Duram's glove, and he fired to second for the inning's second out. Jimmy Heard got Crumpton to bounce out, ending the game and Texas State's season.

Heard picked up the win to keep his record unblemished at 5-0, while Wood took the loss to fall to 2-2.

Crumpton finished the day 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Wood and Merrell were each also 2-for-5 on the afternoon. Palermo went 4-for-5 for NSU, while Dewees was 3-for-5 in the game and Morgan went 2-for-6.

Texas State closes the season with 29 wins, running head coach Ty Harrington's all-time win total to 229 in San Marcos, which is first all-time among Bobcat head coaches.