Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State only needed one run to put away Louisiana Tech Friday night, and senior stalwarts Andrew Stumph and Morgan Mickan teamed up to make it happen. Sophomore pitcher Taylor Black gave the Bobcats the opportunity with 7.2 innings of scoreless pitching. Closer Hunter Lemke came in for his fifth save of the season.
 
In the sixth inning, Mickan sent a base knock to shallow centerfield, and Garrett Mattlage followed with a hit to left field. After a fly out, Stumph stood at the plate with runners at first and second and two outs. Unshaken, Stumph hit the ball just over the third baseman's head, and the speedy Mickan made it home for the 1-0 lead.
 
Black made sure to keep it as he struck out six on the night en route to his third victory of the season. He gave up four hits and walked five, but stood strong with base runners to keep the shutout intact. Lemke struck one out, walked one and gave up a hit in 1.1 innings, but made the outs he needed for the save.
 
The best stretch for Black came in innings 3-6. He only allowed three base runners in that stretch and two of them were walks.
 
Texas State also struggled at the plate against Louisiana Tech's ace Phil Maton, the Western Athletic Conference leader in strikeouts (55), strikeouts looking (19) and second in opponents' batting average. The Bobcats tallied six hits with each of the top three in the lineup knocking one. Stumph finished with two and the important RBI to give him 120 for his career, tying him for sixth on the Texas State all-time list. Colby Targun added the other hit for the Bobcats.
 
Neither team could get much going in the first five innings, combining for just five hits. Both teams struck out four times each in the first five frames, but then Texas State doubled its hit total when it scored in the bottom of the sixth.
 
In the top of the seventh, it was clear that runs were coming at a premium when Louisiana Tech chose to sub for four consecutive players with either a pinch hitter, a pinch runner or a pinch runner for a pinch hitter. With two outs and two Bulldogs on base, Targun helped the Bobcats get out of the inning with a diving stop on a fast moving grounder.
 
He carried the momentum to the bottom of the inning with a leadoff hit, a high pop up that landed safe along the left field line. J.D. Stinnett followed with a walk, and Kevin Sah moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Unfortunately, that put Texas State at two outs, and the next hitter grounded out.
 
In the eighth, Black finally took a seat for Lemke. After walking the first batter he faced to load the bases, Lemke struck out the next batter swinging to preserve the 1-0 lead into the ninth. Mattlage came up big in the ninth with a play on a bad hop to get the second out.
 
Texas State and Louisiana Tech will continue the series Saturday at 2 p.m. with Scott Grist on the mound for the Bobcats. The final game of the series is scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch Sunday.