Texas State Athletics

SAN ANTONIO – Senior Ryan Markwardt recorded his best outing in a Texas State uniform on Thursday night with six scoreless frames in helping the Bobcats (32-22, 14-14 Sun Belt) claim a 5-0 victory over Marshall (23-29, 13-15 Sun Belt) in Thursday's series opener at Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark.
 
The shutout was the seventh this season to tie the program record that was set in 1994 and equaled in 2012.
 
Markwardt (2-2) struck out a season-high nine batters and only gave up two hits to earn the win. Bryce Blevins (8-4) went seven innings but allowed five runs on nine hits to take the loss. Throwing the finale three innings with four strikeouts was Jesus Tovar, who earned his first career save.
 
Both Brady Boles and Jaquae Stewart went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Stewart would drive in two runs while Boles plated one and came around to score twice. Bennett Fryman finished 2-for-3 at the plate and stole a base. Recording an RBI apiece was Blake Beheler and Clayton Namken.
 
With two gone in the bottom of the first, Stewart sent a 2-2 offering 412 feet to right field for his team leading 15th homer of the season. Two pitches later, Namken blasted the ball 430 feet to center field to increase TXST's advantage to 2-0.
 
Boles hit his first long ball as a Bobcat to lead off the second to make it a three-run advantage.
 
The score stayed the same until the seventh that saw Boles double to left center with one gone. Beheler would single back up the middle to bring home the sophomore. Samson Pugh came on as a pinch runner for Beheler and advanced to third when Manny Salas beat out a grounder hit to the second baseman for an infield single. The first pitch to Stewart hit off the right field wall for an RBI double to make it a 5-0 lead.
 
In the next half inning, the Thundering Herd were able to get runners on the corners with one gone. A grounder was hit to Stewart, who threw to Boles covering second and received the throw back to complete an inning-ending double play. The twin killing was also the 57th on the year for Texas State to tie for the most in a season in team history.
 
Tovar stranded two runners on base to end the game when he got a strikeout to wrap up the contest.
 
Game two of the series is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday.
 
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