April 3, 2008

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - An quick tally on the boards jump started the Texas State Bobcats Wednesday night, but the TCU Horned Frogs put four runs across the plate in seventh inning to wipe the lead away and force the `Cats to drop a 12-8 decision at Bobcat Field. Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-5, scoring two runs and plating three in the outing. Kane Holbrooks recorded his fifth start of the season and allowed just three runs in his three innings spent on the mound.

Laurn Randell drove a two-out single through the left side to get the Bobcat bats going and Paul Goldschmidt followed the three-slot at the plate. The slugger took a pitch over the left field fence, but the ball was called foul, so Goldschmidt tried the feat again, this time clearing the centerfield fence to plate the first two runs for Texas State. In the bottom of the second, Elliott Babcock drew a walk and shifted to second base on a ground out, and with a two-base knock down the left line from Thomas Field, Babcock proved to be the lone run of the frame, giving the Bobcats a 3-0 score after two complete innings.

Texas State raised the tally to five, but not without trouble from the Horned Frogs. In the top half of the third, two base hits set the stage for Chris Ellington's homer to the left side, moving TCU back into the game for a 5-3 ball game. Both clubs managed to plate another run in the cat-and-mouse chase to keep the game interesting, but the Horned Frogs defense managed to limit the `Cats, while breaking loose at the plate.

TCU sent runners across the plate in the fifth, sixth and seventh frame for a 12-6 growing margin. Texas State fought back to close out the seventh when Ben Theriot walked to give the `Cats a base runner. Jerry Cervantes drilled a two-base hit to centerfield on the next play, giving Theriot enough time to score and chip away at the deficit. The `Cats would send pinch hitter Aaron Fuller around the diamond for the final score, after reaching on a walk and rounding on a set of groundouts and a single from Adam Witek.

Andrew Cashner took the mound for the `Frogs in the ninth and fanned the side to end the 12-8 campaign, Trent Appleby was credited with the win for TCU after making his appearance in the third and winning the battle on the mound throughout his 2.0 innings. Appleby allowed just two hits and one run.

The Bobcats shuffled through eight pitchers in tonight's contest, one short of a season-high rotation of nine hurlers that came in Texas State's last meeting with TCU. Aaron Taylor was levied with the loss after giving up three hits and three runs, all of which were earned in his one full inning on the mound.

Randell and Theriot each tallied three hits for a high mark at the plate, with Randell adding two runs and one RBI and Theriot notching a solo RBI in the outing.

Texas State will enter this weekend of Southland Conference play with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a 14-10 overall mark. The three-day series is slated to begin Friday night at Bobcat Field, with a 6 p.m. first pitch.