Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

JONESBORO, Ark. – Texas State survived a 12-inning defensive standoff for the win, 4-3, in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, but fell, 5-4, in game two to finish the day at 16-10 on the season and 6-2 in Sun Belt Conference play. That puts Texas State still tied with Arkansas State for second place in the SBC as the Red Wolves are 15-12, 6-2.
 
Taylor Black went 7.1 innings in the first game, striking out three and walking two. He gave up six hits, but did not allow an earned run. Hunter Lemke, however, picked up his fifth win of the season in his record-breaking 84^th appearance of his career. Lemke now stands as the Bobcat pitcher with the most all-time appearances, passing Jason Baca who had 83 from 2004-07.
 
Lemke gave up two ninth-inning runs to allow the Red Wolves to tie it up, but the Bobcats stuck with him and he persevered to pick up the win after four innings and 75 pitches. He is currently one of just eight players in all of NCAA Division I Baseball to lead his team in both saves and victories.
 
Matt Smith scored the first run for Texas State after a lead-off walk in the first. He stole second and scored on a Garrett Mattlage single. Smith was responsible for two of the three Bobcat steals in the first three innings of the game.
 
The Bobcats were aggressive early on the bases going up against the team with the second most steals in the conference. Catcher Tyler Pearson, however, made the Red Wolves pay for trying to take bases. After 16 consecutive steals without being caught, Pearson caught three Red Wolves stealing Saturday, including two on the team's first two attempts.
 
After Smith's run, the Bobcats added two more in the fifth inning. Smith reached on a fielder's choice and went to second on a Mattlage walk. Smith came in on a single to centerfield from Granger Studdard and Mattlage scored on a David Paiz double down the left line.
 
The 3-0 lead wasn't safe, however, as Arkansas State scored an unearned run in the sixth and used three consecutive singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly to score two more and tie it up in the ninth.
 
After that, the Texas State defense made the plays it needed to keep ASU scoreless in extra innings. Finally, Matt Sanchez, Trey Hicks and Ben McElroy came through to put the Bobcats up in the 12^th. Sanchez earned a walk and went to second on sacrifice bunt from Hicks. McElroy followed with a double to right field to plate Sanchez and put the Bobcats on top of ASU, 4-3.
 
The Red Wolves managed an infield single in the bottom of the inning, but Lemke struck the final batter out to clinch a win in the front end of the doubleheader.
 
The second game proved to be a bit different as Arkansas State went up 2-0 after three innings. The Bobcats tied it up in the fifth though. Cory Geisler knocked a double down the left line and scored on a base hit to left field from Hicks. He went 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI and a run scored, knocking his first two hits of his collegiate career.
 
Arkansas State regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the inning but McElroy came up big yet again with a leadoff triple in the sixth. He scored with ease on a Tanner Hill groundout.
 
In the seventh, ASU put the game out of reach with a two-run homer from Eric Wilcoxson, his first of the year and the team's seventh. The Bobcats fought back within one run, scoring in the eighth. Three consecutive singles from the Bobcats capped by an RBI single from McElroy scored Pearson. Later in the inning, with bases loaded, Texas State hit into a double play to end the opportunity.
 
After a scoreless ninth, the Red Wolves tied the two teams up again in the conference standings with the 5-4 Texas State loss. Austen Williams took his first loss of the season after six innings pitched in which he gave up four earned runs but struck out a career-high 10 batters.
 
For the day, Pearson led the Bobcats, going 4-for-10 with an RBI, a run and a double. McElroy wasn't far behind, batting .375 on 3-for-8 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored. Mattlage, Studdard, Hill, Hicks and Paiz all knocked an RBI in the doubleheader while 10 Bobcats registered at least one hit on the day. Seven Bobcats knocked two or more.
 
The teams will meet for the series finale at 11 a.m. Sunday to see who will survive this weekend in the second place spot in the standings. It'll be Lucas Humpal and Arkansas State's Bradley Wallace on the mound for the final game of the series.