SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team (9-5) held an early lead but fell in the series opener to UConn (6-5) 8-4 at Bobcat Ballpark Friday night.
 
Suffering the loss was Nicholas Fraze (2-2) as he went 4.2 innings while giving up eight runs, six of them earned, on nine hits and three walks. The junior right-hander did strikeout seven to give him 19 over his last two starts. The Huskies' Caleb Wurster (1-0) earned his first win of the season after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.
 
Jaylen Hubbard went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, a double and triple. Will Hollis drove in one run while Jaxon Williams scored twice. Also scoring a run was Felipe Rodriguez.
 
Brandon Lewis threw a season-high 4.1 innings out of the bullpen. The senior left-hander gave up two hits and zero runs while striking out four.
 
Trailing 1-0, Rodriguez led off the bottom of the third with a single through the right side. Williams followed by ripping a 3-2 pitch through the right side for another single. On the first pitch he saw, Hubbard smashed the offering to right center and hustled around for a triple to put the Bobcats in front. It was the senior's fourth triple of the season and 10th of his career, tied for third most in TXST history and one shy of matching the program record.
 
Hollis came up and line a 3-2 pitch that fell just inside the right line for a double that scored Hubbard to increase the lead to 3-1.
 
UConn answered back with three runs in the next half inning with two being scored on wild pitch and another on a Michael Woodworth single. The Huskies extended their lead in the fifth on a two-run home run by Thad Phillips and a RBI single courtesy of Woodworth.
 
In the sixth, Williams drew a walk with one out and proceeded to steal second. He then advanced to third on a passed ball. Hollis was able to draw a walk to put runners on the corners. During Skyler Valentine's proceeding at-bat, UConn's Jimmy Wang was called for a balk that brought home Williams and cut the deficit in half.
 
Valentine nearly cut down the Huskies lead even more after the balk. The senior outfielder smashed a 3-2 offering to center field. The UConn outfielder was able to make the catch and hung onto the ball as he immediately smashed into the wall.
 
The series continues on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
 
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