SAN MARCOS, Texas – Six runs were scored over the first three innings by 17th-ranked Texas State (33-10, 16-3 Sun Belt) to claim a 10-2 series opening victory Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark over South Alabama (23-17, 9-10 Sun Belt).
"Boswell has a really good fastball. We wanted to make him pitch with his breaking ball and take his fastball away from him. We got on him and made him start to pitch backwards," said head coach
Steven Trout. "Excellent job by Shuffield to lead it off and we kept grinding it out and hunting mistakes.
Peyton Lewis drove in a game-high three runs while going 2-for-3 at the plate. Also finishing with a multi-hit game was
Dalton Shuffield that included his ninth home run of the season.
Justin Thompson plated two runs while
Wesley Faison,
Jose Gonzalez,
Daylan Pena and Shuffield each scored twice.
Getting the win on the mound was
Zeke Wood (5-1) after he struck out four in 5.1 innings while limiting the Jaguars to two runs on five hits. Matt Boswell (5-3) surrendered eight runs on eight hits in four innings to take the loss.
Triston Dixon threw 2.2 scoreless inning and
Otto Wofford struck out a batter in his lone inning of work out of the bullpen.
"Another great start by Zeke. Battled like crazy and gave up five hits in five innings," said Trout. "Dixon has been a life saver for us coming in with guys on bases. Obviously, we have are having a good year and they are two of those guys that are big credit for it."
Shuffield started the scoring as he led off the bottom of the first with a homer down the left field line that went 469 feet and landed in centerfield of the TXST softball field. With two gone in the frame and two on,
Wesley Faison doubled down the left field line to drive in a run. Lewis followed with a two RBI single for TXST's fourth run of the frame.
USA would get a run back in the next half inning on a bases loaded walk. The visitors failed to get more runs across as the runner on third was picked off after a failed squeeze play and Wood recorded his third strikeout of the game to conclude in inning.
Gonzalez started the third by crushing the first pitch he saw over the right centerfield wall for his fifth round tripper of the year. After Faison drew a walk and Lewis singled to left,
Cameron Gibbons laced a 2-2 offering to right for an RBI single to put Texas State ahead 6-1.
Two more runs were tacked on in the fifth with a bases loaded free pass drawn by Lewis and a ground out to make it a seven-run advantage.
A solo home run by Landon Jordan to start the next frame cut the Bobcats' lead to 8-2.
With two on in the eight and facing a 3-2 count, Thompson went the other way for a two-run single for the final runs of the contest.
Game two of the series is slated for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch.
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