LAFAYETTE, La. – Texas State's Cory Geisler struck out eight and only gave up four hits in the first complete game of his career to propel the Bobcats past No. 20 UL Lafayette, 2-1. With the win, the team's first over a ranked opponent this season, Texas State ends a six-game skid and improves to 22-18 and 10-7 in the Sun Belt Conference.
 
Geisler did not give up an earned run in the game and kept UL Lafayette off balance the entire game, at one point retiring 10 consecutive batters, using four strikeouts in the stretch. In the third inning he struck out the side to sit the Ragin' Cajuns down in order as he improved to 4-1.
 
Tanner Hill sparked the Bobcats with a leadoff double in the fifth inning. Luke Sherley brought him in with a base knock to strike first for the second game in a row. The Cajuns answered in the bottom of the inning, but Texas State scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.
 
Dylan Paul was pressed into duty in the right field due to an injury and knocked a single in his first at bat of the night. Staying aggressive, he took second base on a wild pitch. After a walk and Sherley's second hit of the night, Jacob Almendarez stayed patient at the plate to draw a bases-loaded walk to score Paul and put the Bobcats up, 2-1.
 
Geisler and the defense kept UL Lafayette in check the rest of the game to clinch the victory.
 
 
WHO STOOD OUT
Cory Geisler / LHP / Senior / Spring, Texas
Geisler, making his sixth start of the season on the mound, went the full nine innings and struck out eight batters for career highs in strikeouts and innings pitched in a game. He only gave up four hits in 116 pitches.
 
Luke Sherley / IF / Sophomore / The Woodlands, Texas
The sophomore struck multiple hits for the first time since the series opener against Little Rock, finishing 2-for-4. He knocked in the first RBI of the game to break the 0-0 tie and put the Bobcats up, 1-0, in the fifth inning.
 
 
SCORING RECAP

• Top 5^th - Tanner Hill led off with a double to deep centerfield. A groundout moved him to third base, and Luke Sherley brought him in with a single through the right side. (1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on base)
• Bottom 5^th – The leadoff hitter went to second base on a two-base throwing error. A single after that put runners at the corners. A sacrifice fly to right field plated the leadoff man to tie the game, 1-1. (1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on base)
• Top 7^th – Dylan Paul led off with a single and went to second base on a wild pitch. After him, Anthony Pagano drew a walk, and Sherley knocked a single to load the bases. Jacob Almendarez showed patience in the batter's box to draw a bases-loaded walk, putting Texas State up 2-1. (1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on base)

 
 
NOTES

• Anthony Pagano made his first start as a designated hitter for the Bobcats on Saturday.
• With a double in the fifth inning, Tanner Hill brought his season total of total bases to 97, passing up last season's output of 96 total bases.
• In the fourth inning, Jonathan Ortega hit a double to extend his hitting streak to eight games, the longest current hitting streak on the team. He also has the longest active streak of consecutive games in which he has reached base, also eight.
• Granger Studdard knocked a single in the sixth inning to prevent going hitless in back-to-back games. The junior has only gone consecutive games without a hit once this season.
• With his second hit of the game in the seventh inning, Luke Sherley tallied his 13^th multi-hit game of the season and the first since the series opener against Little Rock in which he knocked three hits.
• Knocking a single to spark the seventh inning, Dylan Paul struck his first hit since April 10 against Nevada.
• Cory Geisler threw the first complete game of his career, going the full nine innings in the longest appearance of his career.
• Texas State's win over No. 20 UL Lafayette is the first victory over a ranked opponent for the Bobcats this season.

 
 
NEXT UP
The Bobcats and Ragin' Cajuns will play the rubber game in the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday. After that, the Bobcats will travel to Texas to face the Longhorns before returning home to host Sun Belt Conference opponent Troy.