SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior Zeke Wood threw a gem on the mound in Texas State's 9-1 series opening victory Thursday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark over Ohio State. The right-hander struck out 10 while allowing just two base runners via a hit and walk.
 
With the win, the Bobcats improve to 5-1 on the season while the Buckeyes drop to 3-2. Last time TXST won five of its first six games was in 2007.
 
Wood (1-0) has now struck out 22 batters in two games, the most by a Bobcat hurler since Kyle Finnegan had 20 strikeouts through the first two contests of 2013. Both Cameron Bush and Reece Gould threw an inning of relief that saw Gould strikeout two.
 
At the plate, both Peyton Lewis and Justin Thompson went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Wesley Faison hit his second home run of the season, drove in two runs and scored twice. Also plating two runs was Jose Gonzalez.
 
It was a pitchers' duel between Wood and the Buckeye's Isaiah Coupet until the bottom of the fourth. With two outs in the frame, John Wuthrich and Faison drew back-to-back walks. Dalton Shuffield followed with a high chopper to the shortstop and beat it out for an infield single. The throw to first got past the first baseman and allowed Wuthrich to score the first run of the game.
 
After Shuffield swiped second, Jose Gonzalez hit a 2-2 pitch to left for a two RBI single. He advanced to second on the throw to the plate and moved on to third when the throw from the catcher went into the outfield. The very next pitch saw Thompson lace a hit to left center that he hustled in for a double. Gibbons brought him home with a single to left to put the Bobcats up 5-0.
 
Faison added to the lead in the seventh when he smashed a 2-2 offering over the left field wall. The finale three runs for TXST came in the eighth to increase the advantage to 9-0.
 
OSU got on the board when Tyler Pettorini hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Gould shut the door with back-to-back strikeouts to close out the victory.
 
The series continues Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
 
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