Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – Despite five combined hits from Kevin Sah and Andrew Stumph and outhitting No. 16 Oregon, 9-7, Texas State fell to the Ducks, 4-3, Tuesday night. The Bobcats drop to 5-11 on the year while Oregon improves to 12-5. Texas State was the first to score and regained the lead in the sixth inning, but an Oregon home run in the bottom of the sixth followed by the designated hitter doubling and scoring a batter later did in the Bobcats.
 
Sah knocked a leadoff single to start the game, but the Bobcats could not score after two groundouts and a strikeout. The Texas State defense responded and forced Oregon to go three up, three down in the first. The Bobcats struck in the second.
 
Colby Targun walked and went to second, and then Matt Smith brought him home with a single to right field for the early lead.
 
In the third, Oregon scored two for the Ducks' first lead of the game. Centerfielder Connor Hoffman doubled and scored on a single from shortstop J.J. Altobelli. Altobelli came scored on right fielder Scott Heineman's double the next play.
 
Trailing by one run in the fifth, centerfielder Morgan Mickan and Sah, playing left field, teamed up to tie the game. Mickan knocked a two-out double up the middle and scored on Sah's triple the next play. The next batter flied out, but the Bobcats weren't done, scoring another run in the sixth.
 
Stumph doubled to left field and scored on Ben McElroy's double to right center field. After that, catcher Tyler Pearson struck out but ran out the passed ball to land safely at first. With two runners on and no outs, the Bobcats hit a fielder's choice and grounded out to second in consecutive at bats.
 
Oregon's Ryon Healy tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with his home run. The designated hitter followed with a two-out double and scored on third baseman Ryan Hambright's single through the left side.
 
Down one run, Texas State almost tied it in the eighth. Stumph, who had already scored one run, led off with a single to center. He took second and third on pitching miscues from Garrett Cleavinger. Unfortunately, wouldn't leave third until there were three outs on the board.
 
The next batter flied out followed by a strikeout. Austin O'Neal earned a walk, but Oregon moved to a new, lefty pitcher, Christian Jones. Jones caught the next Bobcat looking to end the inning and strand Stumph at third. In the ninth, Smith legged out a single on a hit to second base to start the inning, but three consecutive strikeouts after that ended the game.
 
Mitchell Pitts struck out four batters and walked none while giving up six hits and four runs in six innings, picking up the loss. Lucas Humpal and Donnie Hart only gave up one hit combined in the final two innings while Hart struck a batter out.
 
In the lineup, Sah was 3-for-5 with an RBI while Stumph was 2-for-4 with a run. McElroy knocked another RBI on a 1-for-3 night, and Smith was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Mickan was 1-for-2 with a run and Targun scored the third run for Texas State.
 
The Bobcats will look for a split against Oregon at 8 p.m. Wednesday at PK Park.