April 5, 2008

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - Steven Siers broke a four-game stint of no decisions and improved to a 2-1 record after spending seven innings and the mound in the Texas State Bobcats battle with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The hurler notched a season-high eight strikeouts and helped the `Cats take a 5-3 victory over the Islanders Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Field. Texas State improves to a 16-10 overall mark and continues to top the Southland Conference West Division with an 8-3 league mark.

Texas State put a four-run lead on the board in the bottom of the second inning starting with Paul Goldschmidt drawing a walk to open the frame. Ben Theriot followed, taking his first pitch through the right side and with help from a struggling Brian Anderson on the mound; Texas State had a full diamond after Spenser Dennis was hit by a pitch. Back-to-back sacrifices coupled with a base hit from Elliott Babcock plated half the `Cats tally and a fly ball lost in the sun by Trey Hernandez fell victim to the Bobcats scoring mark to send the final two across the plate.

After five unsuccessful innings, Chase Williams crossed the plate to give the Islanders their first run. Williams lined the ball to short, but a fielding error from Texas State kept the runner on base and he was eventually sent home on a double to right field by Jacob Perales.

While Texas State stood still with the four-run tally, Corpus Christi continued to find ways to score, plating two in the top of the eighth for a one-run game. Brian Borski relived Siers on the mound and Perales punched his second double of the afternoon down the left line for a potential score. The Islander shifted to the scoring corner on a balk, but a quick ground out put two away for TAMU-CC and looked to be the close of the frame. A second double to the same corner and a single up the middle shifted the base runners to scoring position and an ill-fated fielding error from the Texas State infield allowed the Islanders to come within one.

The `Cats made up for the lapse in their chance at bat by breaking down A&M-Corpus Christi's mound. A fielders' choice from the foe put Jerry Cervantes on first and Loftin drew a walk for movement on the diamond. Jason Martinson was subbed in for Cervantes at second base, but two wild pitches later he scored and proved to be the `Cats winning run.

Josh Walter closed out the contest from the mound after the defense turned a double play in the ninth, leaving him one out to work with. Williams, who hadn't recorded a hit in the outing, watched Walter's third strike go by and the Bobcats took two-margin victory over the Islanders. Walter earned his third save of the season, allowing just one hit in his 1.1 innings.

Field and Theriot went 2-for-3 to lead Texas State at the plate, with Field notching two RBI and the latter scoring a solo run. Witek and Laurn Randell both added a pair of hits toward the tally.

Anderson took the loss for TAMU-CC after giving up four runs off four hits in his two-inning stint on the mound. Perales was 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI to head the Islanders.

Texas State will try for their first SLC sweep this season in game three at Bobcat Field tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.