BOONE, N.C. - Texas State put on a dominating performance in the team's series-opening victory over Appalachian State Friday night. Junior pitcher
Lucas Humpal pitched a complete-game eight-hitter to lead the Bobcats to an 8-3 win to set the tone early in this weekend's series. With the win, Texas State improves to 3-1 in Sun Belt Conference action and 6-10-1 on the season.
The Bobcats continue to tough out bad weather, playing in the low 40s and rain throughout the ballgame. Texas State was able to tally nine hits to efficiently score eight runs. Defensively, as Humpal struck out six batters and only walked two, the Bobcats finished their first errorless game of the season and added three double plays. Humpal pitched 106 pitches in the game.
Texas State scored first with two runs in the second inning. Senior
Colby Targun jumpstarted the Bobcat offense with a beautiful hit to left centerfield. In the third,
Tanner Hill hit the ball to the same spot to score two more. He came in to score a moment later to make it three more runs for Texas State, giving the Bobcats a 5-0 lead after just three innings of play.
Hill picked up his game-leading third RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to give the Bobcats a commanding 6-0 lead. Appalachian State answered with a three-run rally in the sixth inning to cut the deficit in half. However, the Bobcats held App State without a run in the final three frames despite the Mountaineers putting runners on in each inning.
Finally, in the ninth,
Cedric Vallieres gave the Bobcats a little more breathing room with a two-RBI double that dissapeared into the left corner, scoring
Derek Scheible and
Cory Geisler. Geisler scored all the way from first on the play.
Vallieres and Scheible both finished the day with 2-for-4 performances to lead the Bobcats. Vallieres added a walk. Hill went 1-for-3 with three RBI while Targun,
Cody Lovejoy and
Ben McElroy each added an RBI in the game.
Texas State and Appalachian State are scheduled for a 1 p.m. CST/2 p.m. EST first pitch on Saturday and a 12 p.m. CST/1 p.m. EST game on Sunday.
