Box Score

SAN MARCOS – Texas State notched its first ever Sun Belt Conference victory with a 10-5 win over UT Arlington Friday night to improve to 11-6 on the season and start out the conference season 1-0. Freshman Granger Studdard led the Bobcats with three hits, two RBI, three runs scored and his first collegiate home run.
 
In addition to Granger, Garrett Mattlage and Colby Targun both notched two hits each with Mattlage racking up three RBI. Tyler Pearson, David Paiz, Cory Geisler and Matt Smith each knocked a hit to give the Bobcats 11 on the night.
 
Taylor Black, getting his first Friday start of the season, was strong with seven strikeouts to just one walk. He gave up six hits and two earned runs as he improved to 2-2 on the season. Hunter Lemke picked up his fifth save of the year and only gave up one hit.
 
For the second consecutive game, Texas State's opponent started the scoring with a solo home run. UT Arlington's Greg McCall knocked his fourth of the season in the second inning. Studdard made sure the lead was short-lived when he knocked his own solo shot over the left field fence for the team's sixth home run of the season. From there, it was scoreless until the Bobcats exploded for six runs in the fifth inning.
 
Studdard gave Texas State more momentum when he led off with a single. Tanner Hill followed with a walk and Targun loaded the bases with a hit by pitch. With the bases juiced, Geisler knocked a single through the left side to score Studdard and claim a 2-1 lead.
 
Smith followed with a deep double to left field that fell just within the foul line to score two more runs and Cody Lovejoy followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Geisler. Mattlage did the same to score Smith and put the Bobcats up, 6-1.
 
Later in the inning, on Studdard's second at bat of the fifth, he scored Pearson from second base with another single to left field to complete the big inning for the Bobcats and push the lead to 7-1.
 
The Mavericks tried to answer in the top of the sixth inning, loading the bases, but Black came through in a big way, striking out right fielder Justin Copeland on a nine-pitch at bat.
 
Darien McLemore helped UT Arlington close the gap in the eighth inning with two-run homer to left field to make it 7-3 in favor of Texas State. The top of the eighth got worse for the Bobcats when McCall knocked a high pop fly on which the Bobcats committed an error. Two UTA runners scored on the play to make it a two-run game, 7-5, but the Bobcats would put the game out of reach with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.
 
Texas State responded when Targun plated Studdard on a single through the right side. Studdard reached on an error to start the bottom half of the inning and Hill followed with a walk to put two runners on for Targun.
 
After Targun, Ben McElroy earned a walk in a pinch hitting role to load the bases and Mattlage knocked a two-out, two-RBI single to right field to push the lead to 10-5, the final score.
 
Texas State and UT Arlington will continue the Sun Belt Conference-opening series with a 3 p.m. game Saturday and one at 1 p.m. Sunday.