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Corpus Christi, Texas – Junior Travis Ballew struck out a career-high 12 batters and allowed just one run as part of his second complete game of the season on Thursday night when the Texas State baseball team defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6-1, at Chapman Field in game one of the three-game set.
Ballew held the Islanders to just four hits on the night as he surpassed his preview career high of 11 punch outs, which he set earlier this season against Notre Dame. The junior allowed just two walks on the night and lowered his season ERA to 1.61 while improving to 6-2 on the season. Ballew now has 65 strikeouts in 58 innings of work this season.
The Bobcats improved to 19-10 overall this season and 7-6 in the Southland Conference. Meanwhile, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fell to 12-17 overall and 5-8 in the SLC.
Tim Keller (0-5) lost for the fifth time this season after allowing five runs over 4 2/3 innings of work.
After the setting sun directly beyond the outfield fence in Corpus Christi caused a 25-minute sun delay in the fourth inning with a 0-0 score, the Bobcats came out of the break with the first three run of the game. Joey Fuda drove a pitch to right-center field for his first career triple to bring home Andrew Stumph from second base for the first run of the game, and Nick Smelser followed Fuda with an RBI double to the wall in right field for a 2-0 Texas State advantage. Tyler Sibley's sacrifice fly made it 3-0 Bobcats to finish the scoring for the inning.
The Bobcats put two more on the board in the fifth inning when the team rallied with two outs. Texas State loaded the bases with a double from Casey Kalenkosky and then walks from Kevin Sah and Smelser. After an Islanders' pitching change, Isaac Nuti flared a double into left field to bring home a pair of runs to make the score 5-0.
Sibley added to his career numbers in the sixth inning when he singled to lead off the inning. The hit was his 250th for his career. Sibley then established a new Texas State record with his 50th career stolen base to surpass former Bobcat Bret Atwood's previous record of 49 career steals. Later in the inning, Sibley scored his 200th career run to give the Bobcats a 6-0 lead. Sibley set the career runs scored record for the Bobcats last season and now has 29 more runs scored than anyone else in the Texas State program.
Both Jeff McVaney and Stumph extended their hitting streaks to 13 games on Thursday night, while Nuti finished the game 2 for 3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs.
The Bobcats and Islanders will play game two of this three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi. Junior LHP Colton Turner (2-1, 1.64) is scheduled to take the mound for the Bobcats.
