May 6, 2006

Box Score

NATCHITOCHES, La. - Texas State sits at 2-1 in the Southland Conference Tournament and will enter Sunday's "championship day" on the brink of elimination, after the Bobcats dropped their opening game of the afternoon to Texas-Arlington, 5-4.

The Bobcats walked over Nicholls State 9-2 in their second game of the evening, powered by Kristin Gunter's grand slam in the Bobcat half of the second inning.

In the first game of the afternoon, weather in the Natchitoches area caused the game to be pushed back from an original 1:30 p.m. start to a 4 p.m. first pitch.

In a game that provided four two-run home runs, Texas-Arlington (31-21) jumped on the scoreboard first, when Courtni Anderson followed a leadoff walk from Katie Jones with a two-run shot that put the Lady Mavs' on top, 2-0.

Texas State knotted the score at 2-2 in the third, when Gunter hit her 10th home run of the season to score Amy Hromadka.

The 'Cats would come firing right back in the fourth, when designated player Ali McCormack followed an Alex Newton single with an opposite field home run off starter, Jill Garro. The home run for McCormack was the sixth home run of her young Bobcat career and third in six games.

The Lady Mavs' responded in their half of the fourth with an Autumn Petrino home run that tied the game at four apeice.

Texas State couldn't provide any more fire power, as Texas-Arlington struck at the right time by using an RBI single from Jenna Fortune in the fifth inning to edge past the Bobcats, 5-4.

The Bobcats were forced to play immediately following game one, taking on a hot hitting Nicholls State team.

In the nightcap versus Nicholls, Texas State walked over the Lady Colonels, using a Gunter grand slam - the first of her career - to win 9-2.

The Bobcats left the bases loaded in the first inning and were in fear of doing the same thing, until Gunter sent a monsterous shot that sailed a good 75 feet over the left field fence that put Texas State on top, 4-0.

Texas State cruised from there, plating two runs in the third off a Karen Taylor two-run home run and three more in the sixth.

Ryan Kos, Jetta Weinheimer, Gunter and Newton all had multi-hit performances in the nightcap, while eight different Bobcats combined for the 12 hits.

Sarah Lancour (13-10) was brilliant on the night, retiring the final three batters all on strikes. After dropping her last four decisions, Lancour surrendered only two runs and five hits while striking out seven Lady Colonels.

The winner of Sunday's game will go on to face UTSA in the championship game at 1:30 p.m. In order to capture the Southland Conference Title, the winner of Texas State/Texas-Arlington will have to knock the Roadrunners off twice.

Texas State and Texas-Arlington can be watched on the Northwestern State website via live stats or listened to live on 89.9 FM KTSW-San Marcos.