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San Marcos, Texas – A five-run second inning was more than enough for the No. 35 Texas State baseball team on Sunday afternoon as the Bobcats won their first game of 2012 and handed No. 37 Wichita State its third straight loss to begin the season. In front of 1,444 fans at Bobcat Ballpark, the Bobcats evened their record at 1-1 on the second day of play at the CenturyLink Bobcat Invitational.
After Wichita State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Bobcats answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-1 advantage. Catcher Andrew Stumph got things started with a leadoff walk before Kevin Sah and Ben McElroy each took bases on balls to load them up with one out. A pickoff attempt from WSU starter Mitch Mormann brought in the first run of the game for Texas State, and Garrett Mattlage followed with an RBI groundout to give Texas State its first lead of the game at 2-1. Senior Tyler Sibley singled home the Bobcats third run of the inning, and two batters later, Casey Kalenkosky hit his first career triple off the wall in center field for two more runs and a four-run cushion.
Starting pitcher Travis Ballew made the four-run lead stick through five innings, striking out three in the fourth and two in the fifth to give him eight punchouts through five frames, matching his career high.
Wichita State pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning to cut its deficit to 5-3, but one inning later, Morgan Mickan's RBI single to right field plated Cody Lovejoy to put the Bobcats in front by three, 6-3.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, senior Jeff McVaney provided the first Texas State home run of the season as he knocked the second pitch he saw from WSU reliever Adam LaBrie over the left field fence for a solo shot. The homer was the 21st of his career, putting him in a tie for seventh in career home runs at Texas State.
Freshman Austen Williams came in to relieve Ballew in the seventh and allowed just two hits in three innings on the mound while striking out four Shockers to earn his first save in his first appearance as a Bobcat.
Mickan finished 2 for 4 at the plate for Texas State with a run scored and an RBI, while Kalenkosky was 1 for 3 with two RBIs. McElroy went 1 for 2 with a run scored in his first career start, while fellow freshman Mattlage was 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Texas State will play its third game in the CenturyLink Bobcat Invitational on Monday at 2 p.m. when the Bobcats take on Louisiana-Lafayette. Sophomore RHP Kyle Finnegan will make his second career start versus the Ragin' Cajuns.
