SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State knocked 10 hits and scored six runs in Thursday night's series opener against UT Arlington, but the Mavericks survived the back-and-forth game by a score of 7-6. The Bobcats dropped to 20-30-1 on the season and 12-16 in the Sun Belt. Texas State is still alive for the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament.
 
Granger Studdard led the Bobcats offensively with a 2-for-4 night with an RBI and a walk. David Paiz knocked a two-run homer to lead the team in RBI. Seven other Bobcats finished the game with a hit while Cedric Vallieres, Zach Sullivan and Luke Sherley all add an RBI in the game.
 
The Mavericks were able to get on the scoreboard first with a two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning, but Paiz answered with one of his own in the bottom of the inning. After a double to deep right centerfield from Tanner Hill, Paiz knocked his third home run of the season and his career at Texas State to tie the game.
 
In the fifth, though, UT Arlington added a run for the 3-2 lead, and went up, 4-2, in the top of the seventh inning. Texas State, however, answered yet again. Colby Targun led off with a single, knocking it to right field on an 0-2 count. After that, Targun went to third base on a base knock from Sullivan. With that, UTA changed pitchers, but Sherley kept the run going anyway.
 
Sherley singled with a bunt to score Targun and move Sullivan to second. After a groundout, Vallieres knocked a single through the left side to score Sullivan and tie the game, 4-4. Sherley scored a better later on a base hit from Studdard to put the Bobcats up, 5-4.
 
Unfortunately, UT Arlington found a way to tie the game in the eighth inning. Eric Tate earned a leadoff walk for the Mavericks and went to second base on a sacrifice bunt. In the next at bat, Brady Cox knocked a single to left field to score Tate from second and tie the game at 5-5. Later in the inning, the Mavericks would score two more runs to go up, 7-5. After a walk and a hit, a sacrifice fly would score the go ahead run. An RBI-double from Travis Sibley added one more run before the inning was done.
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ben McElroy knocked a leadoff single, and Mickey Scott, pinch running for McElroy, went to second on a wild pitch and third on a fly out. After that, Targun got on base with a hit by pitch. The next play, Sullivan brought in Scott with a sacrifice fly to right field to pull the Bobcats within one, 7-6. That would be all for Texas State in the eighth. The ninth inning would go scoreless to allow UT Arlington to survive the series opener.
 
Scott Grist takes the mound for the Bobcats in tomorrow's game, scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Bobcat Ballpark.