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Natchitoches, La. – Head coach Ty Harrington won his 400th career game in convincing fashion as the Texas State baseball team defeated Northwestern State, 16-2, in seven innings at Brown-Stroud Field on Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats won by the run rule for the second time this season after winning two of the three games in the series.
The Bobcat offense scored its second most runs of the season on Saturday as the team won by its largest margin of victory over the Demons in their 84-game series history.
Texas State (25-14) remains in a tie atop the Southland Conference standings with Stephen F. Austin with a 15-6 record, and Northwestern State (15-26) fell to 5-16 in the SLC.
Junior Tyler Sibley was one of many players who put up big numbers on Tuesday as he finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBIs and four runs scored. It was the second time in Sibley's career that he hit two home runs in a game – with the first occasion also coming against the Demons in 2009.
Casey Kalenkosky finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBIs and his 15th home run of the season, and Isaac Nuti went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Kyle Kubitza (3-for-4) had one run scored and one RBI, and Andrew Stumph finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Colton Turner (6-1) earned his sixth win of the season after allowing just two runs over six innings on the mound. He struck out six and allowed just one walk on the afternoon.
Colin Bear (2-3) suffered the loss for the Demons after getting tagged for seven runs in 1 2/3 innings on the mound.
The Bobcats' first two hits of the game on Saturday resulted in baseballs being sent into the woods behind the left field wall as Kalenkosky hit a three-run shot in the first inning to stake the Bobcats to a 3-0 lead, and Sibley followed in the second inning with a two-run shot that made the score 6-0. A single by Stumph plated Jeff McVaney later in the second inning as the Bobcats claimed a 7-0 advantage after an inning and a half.
Turner cruised through the first three innings, scattering just three hits while striking out one in the early going.
The Bobcats added on to their lead in the top of the fourth inning after the first three batters of the inning reached base. Kyle Kubitza led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and stole third base for his 11th successful swipe of the season. McVaney then walked and Stumph doubled to the wall in left field to bring Kubitza in for a 8-0 lead. After Kalenkosky hit a sacrifice fly that brought home McVaney for a 9-0 lead, Isaac Nuti hit a two-RBI single back up the middle to make it 11-0, and two batters later, Sibley hit his second bomb of the day to the woods behind the left-field fence for a 14-0 Texas State lead after three and a half innings.
After a pair of Northwestern State runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Texas State offense answered two runs in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 16-2. Kubitza hit an RBI single to left-center field which scored Bret Atwood, and McVaney followed with a sacrifice fly to left field that brought home Sibley for the final tally.
Texas State will return to action on Tuesday, April 26 when the Bobcats head to Austin for their second game of the season against Texas. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
