Box Score
JONESBORO, Ark. – After winning the series opener, a 12-inning game, in the front end of a doubleheader Saturday, Texas State dropped two consecutive games to fall in the series to Arkansas State, 2-1. The Bobcats lost to ASU, 4-1 Sunday in another defensive battle.
Matt Smith was a bright spot for Texas State, going 3-for-4 in the game.
Tyler Pearson was also a highlight defensively. Against one of the best base-stealing teams in the Sun Belt Conference, Pearson caught three stealing in Saturday's doubleheader. He kept going Sunday, picking two off at first and catching one stealing.
Cory Geisler continued his impressive season in relief for the Bobcats. Coming in for starter
Lucas Humpal, Geisler went 2.1 innings and registered three strikeouts. He gave up three hits and a run. Humpal struck out two with two walks, two earned runs and five hits allowed.
The outfielders also had a good day.
Granger Studdard,
Colby Targun and
Ben McElroy all made diving catches in the slippery, wet outfield.
Other Bobcats with a hit in Sunday's loss were Targun,
Garrett Mattlage, McElroy and
Tanner Hill. Hill knocked the only RBI of the game for Texas State, scoring Mattlage in the ninth inning.
The Red Wolves took the lead in the first inning and never relinquished it. Leadoff hitter Zach Maggio singled to get on base and went to third on the next two outs. With Maggio at third,
Austin Baker, a dangerous threat on the bases, faked a steal to second. When the Bobcats went to pick him off, Maggio scored to put ASU up 1-0 early.
In the fourth, Baker led off with a double and ASU first baseman Matt Burgess knocked a two-run homer to push the lead to 3-0 for the Red Wolves. Arkansas State added another run in the eighth when Lucas Feddersen scored on a single from Burgess after reaching on an infield bunt.
Texas State's last chance came in the ninth, and Mattlage put the Bobcats in a good situation with a leadoff hit. Unfortunately a groundout and a strikeout after that had the Bobcats working at a disadvantage. McElroy walked after that and Hill's base knock down the left line scored Mattlage. A fly out ended the game.
The Bobcats will look to bounce back against UTSA at Bobcat Ballpark at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday night. The game will be televised on KBVO and ESPN3. Texas will stay at home for a conference series against South Alabama over the weekend.
