Box Score

SAN MARCOS – Despite a late surge by UC Riverside, the Bobcats held on for a Sunday victory, 7-5, to complete the series sweep after Friday's 2-0 domination and Saturday's 8-4 walk-off win in the 10^th. The Bobcats used consistent offense to overwhelm the Highlanders and improve to 5-2 in the young season.
 
Texas State scored seven runs on seven hits and three errors with Tyler Pearson leading the way. He finished the day 2-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored. Cody Lovejoy, David Paiz, Tanner Hill, Matt Smith and Preston Dorsey each knocked a hit with Lovejoy, Paiz, Hill and Dorsey picking up RBI. Hill, struggling with a cold Sunday, knocked one hit but made it count to bring in two runners and push the lead up to 7-1.
 
Austen Williams picked up his second win of the season, striking out seven in six innings of work. He gave up two hits, an unearned run and three walks, but befuddled UC Riverside most of the day. In relief, Tyler Davenport, Justin Dellinger and Hunter Lemke combined for five more strikeouts.
 
Dellinger was able to get one in another big situation for the second day in a row, fanning shortstop Nick Vilter with two runners in scoring position for the final out of the eighth. Vilter tallied two hits on the day but had no chance against the tall sophomore.
 
Like Saturday, UC Riverside scored first, putting up one run in the second inning, but it was all Texas State after that, starting with three runs in the bottom of the inning in response to UCR's score.
 
Pearson led off with a single and Smith walked while Granger Studdard took a hit by pitch. With the bases loaded, Dorsey picked up his first RBI of his collegiate career on a groundout.
 
After that, the Highlanders tried to pick off Smith at third base, but the catcher threw the ball far over the third baseman's head to allow the Bobcats an early 2-1 lead. Texas State added another run on a sacrifice fly from Lovejoy.
 
In the third inning, the Bobcat defense made a great play to prevent a UCR run. With bases loaded and just one out, Garrett Mattlage fielded the ball and got it to Smith at second for the first out. Smith turned it to Hill at first base to complete the play and keep the 3-1 lead. It was one of three double plays Mattlage was in on.
 
The Bobcats scored again in the bottom of the third. Mattlage led with a walk and moved to third on two separate wild pitches. After a pitching change, a balk scored Mattlage to push it to 4-1.
 
Texas State continued to apply pressure in the fourth. Lovejoy reached on an error and went to second when Cory Geisler put the ball in play. A Mattlage fly out advanced Lovejoy to third and Paiz knocked him in with a shot straight up the middle to make it 5-1.
 
The Bobcats added two more runs on Hill's hit up the middle in the sixth. Both Geisler and Mattlage earned walks and Hill brought them around for his team-leading sixth and seventh RBI of the season.
 
UC Riverside was able to make a late surge with a run in the seventh and three in the ninth but it would not be enough to outduel the Bobcats.
 
Texas State will continue its season with a midweek game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bobcat Ballpark.