SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team took down Rice 6-2 in a midweek clash Tuesday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
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The Bobcats (7-4) scored runs in each of the first three innings and never looked back to earn a season split against the Owls (5-7).
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True freshman
John Wuthrich led TXST with a 2-for-3 effort in his first-collegiate start. He drove in two runs and scored once. Senior
Luke Sherley crossed home plate twice.
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Junior
Wes Engle (1-1) earned the win on the mound after tossing 5.0 solid innings. He allowed just one run on five hits, while striking out four and walking three. Classmate
Braden Pearson pitched a scoreless 2.1 innings of relief on two hits, while striking out four and walking one. Juniors
Kyle Bradford and
Seth Jordan combined to finish out the eighth, and fellow junior
Brayden Theriot shut the door on the visitors in the ninth.
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Texas State initially plated a run in the first on an RBI sacrifice fly from senior
Dylan Paul. His eighth RBI of the season brought home senior
Derek Scheible, who initially reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Senior
Jared Huber drew a bases-loaded walk in the second to plate an additional run, and Wuthrich brought home junior
Jaylen Hubbard to make the score 3-1 in favor of the home club in the third.
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The Bobcats plated three insurance markers in the fifth to pull away for good, and the Owls were only able to muster one final tally in the ninth.
Ford Proctor was the lone member of the visiting team to post multiple hits, as he finished 2-for-3 on the evening. Ryan Chandler and Dominic Cox scored the two runs for Rice.
Zach Esquivel (0-1) took the loss after conceding three runs on no hits across the first 2.1 frames. He walked four and struck out just one. Jackson Parthasarthy gave up three more runs in the next 2.0 frames, and Nick Silber and Brent Schwarz combined to keep TXST off the board for the final 3.2 innings.
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Texas State is now set to head west for the first weekend road series of the season. The maroon and gold will take on UC Santa Barbara March 9-11 in Isla Vista, California.
-- TXSTATEBOBCATS.COM --
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