Box Score

HOUSTON – Texas State held No. 7 Houston to just six hits, and only three hits through five innings, but it would not be enough as the Cougars took advantage of six walks to win 7-1. The Bobcats tallied three hits in the game, falling to 18-14 on the season.
 
Garrett Mattlage, Granger Studdard and Ben McElroy each knocked a hit for the Bobcats with Studdard picking up the only RBI. Colby Targun was able to get on base twice with two walks to join the three Bobcats with hits for the only baserunners of the night for Texas State.
 
Young pitchers Tyler Davenport and Jack Finnegan did well for themselves late in the game. Between the two of them, Houston only tallied one hit with Finnegan retiring three consecutive in his second appearance of the season. He also notched a strikeout.
 
Houston struck first blood with four runs in the second inning. Dylan Bein struck out a batter on both sides of a single from left fielder Michael Pyeatt. But after that, three consecutive walks loaded the bases and scored one run for the Cougars. Bein finished with three strikeouts and just three hits allowed in five innings.
 
Cougar leadoff man Kyle Survance came up next to hit what some thought was a triple to clear the bases. While Houston did indeed score three runs on the play, the Bobcats put Survance out at second on appeal since he didn't touch the base to end the inning.
 
Texas State got on the board in the fourth. Targun became Texas State's first baserunner with a walk and Mattlage followed with the first Bobcat hit of the day. With runners at first and second, Studdard knocked a single up the middle to score Targun from second and make it 4-1.
 
The Bobcats used a strong defensive inning to hold Houston without a run in the fifth. For the second out, Studdard made an over-the-shoulder snag while in a full sprint in left field, and Matt Smith followed with a nice catch on a line drive to his left for the final out of the inning.
 
In the sixth inning, Houston used two singles and three walks to score three runs and push the Cougar lead up to 7-1. That would be the final score of the game.
 
Texas State stays on the road for a Sun Belt Conference series at UL Monroe over the weekend with games at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.