Box Score

Box Score (PDF)

San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State baseball team defeated Akron, 6-3, on Saturday night at Bobcat Ballpark for the team's second win in as many nights over the Zips. The Bobcats used a four-run fifth inning to help the team improve to 4-2 overall this season.

Akron falls to 1-5 to begin 2011 with the loss.

Junior Isaac Nuti got his second start of the season at shortstop and took advantage of it, going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs in addition to making a sensational barehanded play to help the Bobcats get out of the sixth inning.

Sophomore Colton Turner improved to 2-0 as a starter in his career as he went five and 2/3 innings on the mound with a career-high six strikeouts to earn the win. Turner gave up four hits and three runs before exiting in the sixth inning with the lead.

Alex Loftin (0-2) was handed his second loss of the season, throwing four and 2/3 inning while allowing six runs (three earned).

The Bobcats were first on the scoreboard as junior Jeff McVaney hit the first pitch he saw into right field to score Cody Gambill from third base to put Texas State in front 1-0 after the first inning. Earlier in the inning, Gambill roped a single into left field and opportunistically advanced to second base after a bobble by the Akron outfielder. He moved to third on a fly out from Kyle Kubitza before coming home to score the game's first run.

Turner faced the minimum through the first three innings, striking out four during the span, before the Zips scored two runs on two hits in the top of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, the Bobcats answered with a run to tie the game at 2-2 on a single from Nuti that brought home Kubitza from second base.

Akron nearly retook the lead to begin the fifth inning, but center fielder Bret Atwood erased the threat. With a runner on second base, Akron's Tyler Begun singled up the middle, and Atwood came up with a strong throw that beat the Zips' runner to the plate for the out.

The Bobcats put some distance between them and the Zips in the bottom of the fifth inning as the team scored four runs to go ahead 6-2. Casey Kalenkosky and Nuti each had two-run singles in the inning to help Texas State retake the lead.

Akron's Drew Turocy homered in the fifth inning to make the score 6-3 and chase Turner from the game, but Fielding Pittman came in and needed just one pitch to get out of the inning. Pittman also pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings for the home team, needing just three pitches to sit down the Zips in the seventh and striking out two in the eighth.

McVaney came in for his first pitching appearance of the season and earned his first career save, striking out Akron's Kurt Gamby to end the game.