SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State (6-1) claimed the series over Ohio State (3-3) Saturday with an 8-5 win at Bobcat Ballpark. The start for the Bobcats is their best 2005, which also won six of the first seven games.
 
Triston Dixon (1-0) picked up the win after throwing 3.2 innings of relief. He allowed a run on three hits and one walk while striking out five. Tristan Stivors picked up his first save of the season and 10th of his career after working a scoreless ninth that saw him strikeout two. Suffering the loss was Nate Haberthier (0-1) after surrendering five runs on five hits and three walks.
 
Starting on the rubber for TXST was Levi Wells. The sophomore struck out five but issued five free passes and gave up two runs on three hits. Austin Smith threw an inning and Matthew Nicholas got two outs coming on in relief.
 
John Wuthrich finished 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles, one RBI and scored a run. Ben McClain finished with two RBI, scored twice and had two base knocks. Jose Gonzalez also plated two runs and Dalton Shuffield finished with two hits.
 
The Buckeyes struck first when Zach Dezenzo hit a solo home run in the first. The Bobcats answered in the bottom half of the inning when Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
 
OSU responded right back with another run in the top of the second to retake the lead. The next half inning saw Peyton Lewis single to center and Cameron Gibbons lay down a great bunt for an infield single. McClain followed with a double to left to bring home two runs and put Texas State in front.
 
Wesley Faison drew a walk and both he and McClain moved up 90 feet on a balk. Shuffield hit a slow grounder to the third baseman, who made no attempt to throw to first, for an RBI infield single. A wild pitch allowed Faision to score and increase the advantage to 5-2 after two frames.
 
Shuffield smacked a 2-2 offering to right field for a double and Gonzalez followed with a double of his own two pitches later to bring the senior shortstop home. The junior outfield stole third with the throw from the catcher sailing into the outfield to allow him to cross the plate to make it a five-run Bobcat advantage.
 
The Buckeyes chipped away at their deficit with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
 
With one gone in the bottom of the eighth, McClain smoked a pitch back up the middle that nearly hit the pitcher for a single. The Pearland, Texas native moved up to second on a wild pitch. The very next pitch saw Wuthrich lace the ball just past the reach of the third baseman for an RBI double and an insurance run.
 
Stivors came on and struck out the first two batters looking. OSU got a pinch-hit single, but the senior right-hander induced a soft lineout to Shuffield to end the game.
 
The series concludes on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
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