Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
San Marcos, Texas – Texas State could not complete the series sweep over McNeese State on Sunday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark as the Cowboys came away with a 5-3 victory in the series finale at Bobcat Ballpark.
A crowd of 1,078 was at Sunday's game, making the combined weekend attendance at Bobcat Ballpark 3,623 – the largest weekend attendance for a Southland Conference series in the ballpark's history.
Texas State dropped to 18-10 overall and 6-6 in the Southland Conference with the loss, while McNeese State improved to 10-14 overall and 7-5 in league action.
For the first time in the series, McNeese State took a lead when the Cowboys got to Texas State starting pitcher Kyle Finnegan in first inning to take a 3-0 lead. The visitors added a run in the top of the fourth for a 4-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Bobcats got on the scoreboard when Casey Kalenkosky hit his third home run of the week and seventh of the season over the wall in left field. Jeff McVaney made it back-to-back homers for Texas State when he blasted his sixth homer of the season to cut the team's deficit to 4-2.
Texas State came within one in the sixth inning when Andrew Stumph delivered an RBI single to make the score 4-3, but the Cowboys answered in the top of the seventh inning with a run of their own for a 5-3 score.
The Bobcats threatened in the late inning but could not come through with any additional runs. Texas State put two runners on and no outs in the eighth inning before coming away empty, and the team got a leadoff single from Stumph in the ninth inning but could not score as the final tally remained 5-3.
Finnegan (4-2) took just his second loss of the season after allowing five runs over 6 2/3 innings on the mound. The sophomore struck out two on the afternoon.
McNeese State starter Michael Clemens (1-2) earned his first win of the season after allowing three runs over seven innings of work.
Texas State's next game will be on Tuesday when the Bobcats travel to Waco for a 6:30 p.m. matchup with Baylor, marking the first of a nine-game stretch away from Bobcat Ballpark. The team's next game at Bobcat Ballpark will be on April 20 against Central Arkansas.
