'Horns Snap 'Cats Winning Streak at 12

The Texas State Bobcats rolled into Austin to take on the eighth seeded Texas Longhorns at UFCU Disch-Falk field on Tuesday night. With the Bobcats sporting a 12 game win streak coming into the game, and the Longhorns reeling after an 0-3-1 week, losing a weekend series to Kansas St, the 'Cats were sure for a tough game. The game was off to a quick start for both teams, but the Bobcats lost their fuel quickly while the Longhorns looked exceptional at the plate, taking the game 12-2 in 9 innings.

The Bobcats got off to a quick start as they scored the first run in the top of the first after freshman Tyler Sibley was hit by a pitch and later scored on a Keith Prestridge RBI single. The lead was short lived as the Longhorns retaliated right back in the bottom of the inning when first baseman Brandon Belt belted a two-run homerun off of Bobcat starter Garret Carruth.

The scoring came again quickly for the Bobcats when in the top of the second inning Ben Theriot walked and later scored on a Tyler Sibley base hit that tied the game at 2 a piece. That would turn out to be the end of the scoring for the Bobcats as they ran into the most dominating pitching staff they've faced this year.

The bottom of the second saw the Horns score 2 more runs on singles by Kevin Lusson, who ended the night 4-4 with 5 runs scored, and Brandon Loy, both scoring on the single from Connor Rowe. The 'Horns offense continued to sparkle in the fourth, scoring a run and 2 more in the sixth and seventh innings. All of these runs came off of timely hitting by the Longhorns.

The Bobcats weren't able to get anything going against the tough Longhorn rotation that was comprised of Brandon Workman, Stayton Thomas, and Andrew McKinrihan. The Bobcats, which were sporting one of the best offensive résumés in the nation, were completely shut down tonight as the Longhorns gave up only two runs on six hits.

The Bobcats pitching staff on the other hand struggled with the Texas lineup, giving up the 12 runs on 15 hits. Carruth got into early trouble and was not able to shake the dust. The Bobcats totaled eight pitchers on the night with Michael Russo and Tyler Brundridge seeing work in the outing.

The win streak snapped at 12 games will start anew as the Bobcats are back in action this Friday against the I-35 rival UTSA Roadrunners. The first game of the series will be in San Marcos, while the rest of the series will be played in San Antonio. First pitch is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Bobcat Field. You can tune into all the action live on 89.9 KTSW.

Will McGinnis- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Baseball Records 12th Straight Win: Top 25 Anyone?

The Bobcats complete a weekend sweep over Southland Conference foe McNeese State with a 15-2 run-rule win, their 2nd run-rule game in a row. 1,232 fans showed up to watch an impressive offensive showing by the hometown team. Texas State notches their 21st win in their last 23 games.

Brian Borski was on the mound for the Bobcats Sunday afternoon. Borski had two balks in the first inning and gave up one run in a shaky start to the game. After the 1st inning, however, Borski shut down the potent lineup of the Cowboys. The Cowboys had only one hitter in their lineup hitting under .300. Borski gave up two earned runs and seven hits in a complete game win.

Tyler Davis started the game for the Cowboys, the first of five pitchers the Bobcats would face. Davis went 3.1 innings giving up six earned runs and seven hits; he added three walks and one hit batter. Frantz, Bailey, Holstein and LeGros combined for seven hits and six earned runs in relief for the Cowboys.

The game was tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 2nd. The Bobcats loaded the bases with one out in the 2nd for power hitting Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt hit a towering pop up down the third base line and was sat down after an amazing catch by Cowboy shortstop Landry. Landry made a long run and slammed into the wall to record the out. Spenser Dennis followed Goldschmidt, and he popped out to end the inning.

After some early offensive woes for the Bobcats they turned it on in the 3rd. Laurn Randell and Kyle Livingstone hit back-to-back homeruns to give the Bobcats a 4-2 lead going into the 4th. The Bobcats added three runs in the 4th and three in the 5th to take a 10-2 lead headed to the 6th frame.

The 6th inning would spell defeat for the struggling Cowboys. The Bobcats brought 10 batters to the plate and added five runs in the 6th inning to put the game out of reach. Jace Peterson, Cowboy shortstop, had two errors in the 6th inning, both of which lead to a Bobcat run. Borski got three popouts in the 7th inning to end the game.

Texas State remains in first place in the SLC and recorded thier 31st win in the regular season. Bobcats move to 31-10 overall and 18-5 in the SLC. McNeese State moves to 19-21 overall and 8-16 in the SLC. Next up, the Bobcats make a trip up I-35 to face the Texas Longhorns in game two of the season series. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. Tuesday night. You can catch all the action on 89.9 KTSW.

Thomas Courtney- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

One Hitter Quitter

It was all the Texas State Softball team needed to defeat the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks: One hit, and the game was essentially over.

It was a highly anticipated pitchers’ duel with two of the best in the Southland Conference: Texas State pitcher Chandler Hall against Monika Covington; both with ERAs just over one run.

Hall retired the first three Ladyjacks in the top of the first, bringing the Bobcats scrappy leadoff batter, Alex Newton to the plate. On the second pitch of the game, Newton connected, sending the ball over the left field wall. It was just about the only mistake made by Covington, but a costly mistake it was. With the help of shutout pitching by Hall, the Bobcats rode Newton’s homerun through seven innings to victory, beating the Ladyjacks 1-0.

“It's great to win here at home in front of our family and fans," said head coach Ricci Woodard.

The Bobcats clinched the South Land Conference Regular Season Title with the win today, and can now focus on the tournament.

"Even though we have claimed the SLC Regular Season title, we still have the SLC tournament to prepare for. Our business is not yet finished, with our goal being the NCAA Tournament," said Woodard.

Tim Leeland- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Bobcats Stomp Cowboys in Seven for 11th Straight Victory.

When the Cowboys come to town and take a shot at robbing the locals, Texas State baseball can hang with the best gunslingers in the Southland, and Saturday's 16-6, seven inning win over McNeese State is proof of that offensive firepower.

Coach Ty Harrington has only been under 30 wins as head honcho since he took the reins in 2000, and that new millennium season ended at 34-29, 16-11 in conference play, with a Southland Conference Tournament ring to go with it. With a baker's dozen games left to play, these Cats are on the way to making this what might be the winningest season in Texas State baseball history since the program began in 1985; then Southwest Texas State University was a Gulf Coast Conference member.

Saturday's starter on the bump for the San Marcos favorites, Zach Tritz, came out tentative and unable to spot fastballs, with poor command of his breaking pitches. Most of McNeese's hitters bat above .300 on average, but six runs on nine hits seemed a tab unusual for the Cowboy offense, mostly because Tritz didn't give them much to work with. The right handed Bobcat starter threw enough junk that the good majority of it simply was unhittable. By the fifth inning, the 'Cats led 11-6, forcing the visitors to press a bit -- swinging at balls way out of the zone and watching fast balls on the black zip by. McNeese State sits near the bottom of the SLC standings with an 8-15 mark, 19-20 overall.

Despite McNeese's offensive woes, the leather was useful behind the right handed starter from Austin, Texas, Matt Click. Left fielder Andy Riché made a spectacular leap at the wall and got a glove on a Keith Prestridge fly ball, which turned into a two-run big fly after it squirted out of Riché's mitt and sat atop the wall before falling behind it. Later, Riché poked one to center where a diving Bret Atwood made a Superman grab to keep the two base runners in their places, and Kyle Livingstone, who's been splitting time at second with Adam Witek, made a leaping snag over his shoulder to end the top half of the seventh. But the fanciest move on the afternoon came in the form of a 4-6-3 Cowboy double play, when Matt Fontenot scooped a bouncing ball on a slide, fired to second where Shon Landry swiped, spun around and fired to first. Kubitza was safe on the play but because catcher Ben Theriot was called out for interference, both men went back to the bench.

Coach Harrington came out to argue the call but kept his cool, a wise decision on the veteran coach's part. McNeese State head coach Terry Burrows, however, was tossed in the second inning after his protest of a called strike check swing lead to a few too many choice words. Burrows seemed to look to fire his team up with the protest -- it was only strike two on the batter -- but he took the argument so far as to require crew chief Mark Lewis and third base umpire Scott Johnston to restrain the rowdy Cowboy.

To add to the the flying sparks, Paul Goldschmidt provided the first bit of fuel with an RBI single in the first. But McNeese had the first real boom of the game when catcher Taylor Freeman hit a two run home run to right center in the third to take back the lead, 2-1.

But this group of Bobcats seems to thrive on this type of adversity, almost as a way to give them something for which to play; they like the thrill of the chase. The Cats clawed back with a Paul Goldschmidt sac-fly, scoring Spenser Dennis from third, and the Bobcat slugger extended his RBI total to 68. That number is the top spot in the college baseball nation.

In the fifth and seventh innings, Texas State went offensively ballistic. Tyler Sibley rocked an 0-1 pitch to left center field for a three-run blast in the fifth, and the rest of the scoring went station-to-station to total six runs. In the seventh, Spenser Dennis did what he does best and handled a first pitch fastball through the left side to score Paul Goldschmidt as the fifth and final run of the frame to end the game on the mercy rule.

Texas State beat Baylor University at Baylor Ballpark last week, the second win over the ninth-ranked Bears this season. Despite a close loss to Texas at home, and a five-run loss to TCU, many fans argue that the 2009 Bobcats have earned the right to be heard in the NCAA Top 25 voting process. Paul Goldschmidt's status as the national leader in RBI, combined with Kane Holbrook's perfect 9-0 record, Spenser Dennis's batting average that fluctuates between .450 and .500, the win-loss record alone, as well as what should be a sufficient RPI rating are some of the stances fans take on the issue.

The Bobcats follow up their eleventh straight win Sunday, Apr. 25 against McNeese, looking for the sweep. First pitch is marked for 1:00 p.m., and will be aired live on 89.9 FM KTSW, and also at TxStateBobcats.com. The Bobcats head to Austin the following Tuesday to play the Texas Longhorns at 6:30 p.m., to see if cattle might be roped in just as well as the Cowboy.

Mason Robinson- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Cats Even up Series In Game Two Against Jacks

After Texas State surrendered game one to star pitcher Monica Covington and the Lady Jacks of Stephen F. Austin two to nothing, they wasted no time sending a message stating they would even the series.

Lead off batter Alex Newton was first up, claiming first base after a pitch from Lauren Luetge was grounded into left field. Newton stole second base after a wild pitch from Luetge, and Taylor Hall was walked following a few more pitches out of the strike zone. Her sister, Chandler Hall, stepped up with a sacrifice bunt, advancing both players into scoring position. Third baseman Jenna Emery fouled out to the first baseman Kayla Gutowski.

After the out, Gutowski held the ball, looking confused, and head coach Ricci Woodard called in Alex Newton. After Newton stole home, the confusion continued on Gutowski's part allowing Hall to steal home as well. The Bobcats grabbed a quick two to nothing lead and looked to be in complete control.

The action slowed until the top of the sixth inning when Lady Jack, Ashley Struchtemeyer came to the plate and knocked her eighth home run of the season out of the park. The two run shot tied the contest, putting some pressure on the conference leading Bobcats.

The Bobcats wasted no time, and in the bottom of the sixth, Emery hit a sac fly into center field bringing Taylor Hall in for the go ahead score. The RBI was Emery's third of the game and the deciding factor in game two.

Katie Garnet sealed the deal in the top of the seventh, grabbing her 14th win of the season with three strikeouts. The series between the number one and two teams in the Southland Conference will be decided with game three on Sunday beginning at noon. The Bobcats improved to 20 and six in conference play while the Lady Jacks improved to 16 and 10.

Matt Petmecky- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Ladyjacks Chop Down Cats in Game One

The Bobcats fell to the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks in the first game of a double header on Saturday afternoon.

The game started out scoreless as Ladyjack pitcher Monika Covington and Bobcat pitcher Chandler Hall threw consecutive strikes. At the top of the 7th inning, SFA was able to make 2 runs, giving them the lead when pitch hitter Karrisa Jones scored 2 RBIs. The Bobcats were unable to answer back at the bottom of the 7th, giving the Ladyjacks the ball game. Ladyjack pitch Covington was able to take the win improving her pitching record with 18 wins and 11 looses. Short stop Alex Newton was the only Bobcat able to hit off of Covington. The Bobcats looked to tie the series up awaiting the second game against the Ladyjacks.

Hillary Till- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Kubitza Ropes Two Home Runs to Defeat Cowboys

The Bobcats entered Friday night’s game against McNeese State riding a nine game win streak and fresh off of a dominating win against #9 Baylor on Wednesday. Coming into the game, the Bobcats were 28-10 overall, first in the Southland, and looking for some national respect from the college baseball nation.

Kane Holbrooks took the mound going for his ninth win (8-0) and did so respectively recording seven innings of solid work that included six strikeouts and only two earned runs. Initially, Holbrooks had a few control issues but settled in very nicely around the second or third inning, recording 8 outs in a row at one point. The offense got started in the bottom of the fourth inning as Tyler Sibley hit a solo homerun to left center field, and then the Cats strung together a couple of hits respectively to put a four spot in the bottom of the fourth inning.

In the sixth inning, the bottom of the lineup stepped up for the Bobcats, as they have done several times this season, and put up three runs in the sixth inning capped by a towering 2-run bomb off of the bat of Kyle Kubitza. Holbrooks gave up a run in the fifth and the seventh inning, but in doing so grabbed his Southland Conference leading ninth win to remain perfect on the season thus far. After being lifted after seven innings, Holbrooks got even more unneeded insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning off the bats of the bottom of the lineup. Ben Theriot doubled in the left center field gap, and not but two at-bats later Kyle Kubitza struck once again with a screaming line drive homerun over the power alley in right center field to plate Theriot and give the Bobcats a comfortable 9-2 lead going into the eighth inning.

Lance Loftin came in and pitched the last two innings of the game, giving up only one earned run as the Bobcats closed out the victory Friday night over the McNeese State Cowboys 9-4. Once again, the bottom of the lineup worked their wonders today as Theriot collected three hits, Martinsen collected a double and a triple, and as mentioned earlier Kyle Kubitza recorded 2 homeruns and 4 rbi’s.

Although the Cats took game one, they look to sweep the mediocre Cowboys in order to stay atop the Southland Conference (with UT Arlington and Sam Houston State nipping at their heels) and move closer toward the number one seed come tournament time. With the win the Bobcats move to 29-10 overall and 16-5 in the SLC, and seek national respect with games still yet to play against Texas, Texas A&M, and Rice.

The Bobcats are on pace to set the single season record in team wins and look to keep the train rolling as they enter the climax of the season. Game two in this weekend’s series will be tomorrow at 2:00 with Zach Tritz taking the mound looking for his sixth win of the year. You can listen to all the action live streaming on txstatebobcats.com.

Weston Warner- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

DOWN GOES BAYLOR! pt. 2- 9th Straight Win for Cats

With the season series tied at 1-1 a piece, the Texas State Bobcat Baseball team kept their winning streak alive by beating the No. 9 ranked Baylor Bears 7-2 in Waco, Texas.

The first meeting between the Cats and Bears was probably the strangest game all season long with the Bears taking the game 22-17. The second game showcased more of a pitching duel between the two teams with the cats winning a close 5-3 ball game in Waco.

The Bobcats once again traveled to Waco hoping for another top ten win on the road and got it with solid pitching and good hitting from the most unlikely Bobcats. Sure gloved short stop Jason Martinson showed up big with his bat starting off the game hitting a two run home run in the top of the 2nd inning to take the lead early for the Cats. Martinson finished one triple away from hitting the cycle going 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs for the evening; which is very solid for the nine hole hitter for the Bobcats.

Another Bobcat who usually makes the plays behind the plate, Ben Theriot, went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs, including a two home run shot that went inches over the center field wall putting the Cats up by 5 going into the bottom of the ninth inning.

The start of the ball game was headlined by the great pitching from both the Baylor Bear pitcher, Craig Fritsch, and the Bobcat pitcher, Garret Carruth. It was clear after the first couple innings of work by the two pitchers that this game was going to be much like the second match-up between the two squads. Garret Carruth pitched his best game all year going 5 2/3 innings giving up only 2 earned runs while striking out 3 batters. Carruth showed great control of his pitches and was keying in on the outside corner of the plate to get the slew of lefty hitters the Bears put in the box. Meanwhile, Fritsch had some trouble controlling his 90 plus mph fast balls but gained enough control to strike out 4 batters in just two innings.

The Bobcats had a 2-0 lead that was quickly diminished in the 6th inning when Baylor tacked on 2 runs to tie the game up. Tyler Brundridge entered in the 6th to get out of a jam with the score tie and the Cats needing to wake up the bats. In the 7th inning the Cats answered the call by playing small ball with Tyler Sibley and Bret Atwood who were both able to pick up some steals throughout the inning. Bobcat sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Spenser Dennis drove in Martinson, Sibley and Atwood to make the score 5-3 in the Bobcats favor going into the 8th.

One other thing that looked solid for the Cats was the collective relief pitching by Brundridge, Lance Loftin and Michael Russo who each pitched an inning worth of work to crumble the Bears chances for a comeback. After the Theriot two run home run shot in the top of the 9th, the Bobcats secured the victory with a 7-2 final score.

The Bobcats came into this game showing great confidence to beat the Bears. There was really nothing anyone can do because this Bobcat team is playing some of the best Baseball in the country; winning their last 18 out of 20 games. It's hard to say that anyone could have predicted the mid-season excellence the Bobcats have produced, but by now the Cats have consistently been gaining respect from not only the Southland Conference but across the nation. With the Bobcats going 2-1 against the top ten ranked Bears, the Cats will now be a team that Texas, Rice and Texas A&M will have to take seriously if they intend on beating the red hot Bobcats.

With the win against Baylor, the Bobcats improve to an overall record of 28-10 and the possibility of reaching 40 wins if they can when their last 12 of 15 games. The Bobcats next game will come at home against McNeese State in a three game series set to start on Friday at 6:30 p.m. You can listen to all the action live on 89.9 KTSW and txstatebobcats.com.

James McNeal- KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor

Dennis Has Another Big Night Against the Panthers

The Bobcats come out on top busting out in the late innings to take out the Prairie View A&M Panthers 18-6, but things weren’t a breeze.

The Bobcat Baseball team has been riding high lately coming into tonight’s game winning 14 out of their last 16 games. Prairie View was the Cats opponent a little over two weeks ago when Texas State went for a record 33 runs.

Well the Bobcats started out this game the same way they finished off the last game against the Panthers scoring four runs in the first inning. Three up three down for the Panthers and in the home half of the first the Bobcat bats came alive. Tyler Sibley singled up the gut and after Bret Atwood walked Paul Goldschmidt stepped up to the plate. A double to the wall drove in both of the speedy runners. Just in case that wasn’t enough Spenser Dennis walked up to the plate and took one deep over the left field fence for a two run homerun. So four batters had come to the plate and all four had come home to score. That was the only runs scored in the inning and if the Bobcats hadn’t looked past this game before it started, they certain must have started to now.

The next inning starting pitcher Matt Steiner walked two batters who were brought home on a triple by the Panther’s first baseman Jason Thomas. After another walk Steiner got himself out of the inning but that would be the end of the road for the young freshman.

The Bobcats managed to score one more run in the bottom of the second without getting a hit. An error allowed Bret Atwood to g0 to second just before he advanced to third on a wild pitch. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Goldschmidt to make the score 5-2.

In the top of the third Prairie View started to mount their comeback scoring one run off of Tim Heath. Both teams went scoreless over the next three half innings with the Bobcats leaving three runners on base until the top of the fifth came around.

The Panthers three consecutive singles scored one run to start out the fifth and Tyler Brundridge came in to relieve Heath. After advancing the runners to second and third, one more single tied the game up at five. This is where the Texas State fans started getting a bit nervous specifically after a quick bottom of the fifth that came and went for the Bobcats without a hit.

Bryant Rutledge replaced Brundridge and promptly hit the first batter of the inning. The next batter popped up a bunt to the first base side of the mound. Goldschmidt came over from first base and him and Rutledge stared each other down in what seemed like a slightly awkward moment as the ball fell to the ground. After another single the bases were loaded with no outs and the Bobcats were really in trouble. The next pitch was hit to left field for a sacrifice fly but the runner on second base got caught up in a run down and Rutledge got him out. Prairie View took the lead on the run, but the Bobcats had two outs with a runner on first and managed to get out of the inning.

If anyone was wondering if the Bobcats would respond, the answer was “yes.” A single by Atwood followed by a walk by Goldschmidt set things up for Dennis. Another bomb over left field and Dennis had his second homerun of the ball game and five RBIs. Things went relatively crazy from there. Over the next two innings Texas State would score 12 on ten hits to lead 17-6.

Starting off the bottom of the eighth inning, none other than Spenser Dennis stepped back up to the plate. With two homeruns already in the game nobody truly expected what would come next. Dennis took one deep once again over the left field wall tying a Texas State record set in 1987 with three homeruns in one ball game. Also his three homeruns tonight matched his season total from last season. He now shares or holds three records at Texas State all of which were set against Prairie View A&M.

The Bobcats improve to 25-10 on the season and are headed on the road to face off against Northwestern State for another three game conference series this weekend. After that Texas State heads back to Waco to face off against the Baylor Bears. The game time has been changed to Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. You can catch that game on 89.9 KTSW.

Dalton Sweat- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Bobcats Claw to Fifth Straight Win Over Huskies

For game two in the second match-up between Houston Baptist University and Texas State, the baseball team took a 4-0 win over the Huskies in San Marcos Monday night. With Monday's win, it's the second time since a mid-March losing skid that the the Cats have taken five straight winning decisions.

As has been the case for the last two games, the Cats got off to a slow start, being held to only three hits for the first four innings against HBU starter Tristan Gaines. Garret Carruth started on the bump for Bobcat head coach Ty Harrington, pitching six complete innings and giving up only two hits. The junior transfer retired the first two batters he faced and then gave up his only two hits, finally calming his nerves and getting a much needed third out, a called strike three on the Huskie's first baseman Beau Warren. Carruth's record now expands to 3-1. Tyler Brundridge and Michael Russo came in to combine for 3 innings of work to close the game in the eighth and ninth.

Scores opened up in the fifth, set up with walks to Bobcat shortstop Jason Martinson and junior outfielder Laurn Randall. Cody Gambill, who earned the start in right field, drove Martinson in from second after his single shot up the middle nearly took Gaines' head with it. Randall's always aggressive base running and all-out style of play landed him on third base with the play, and Paul Goldschmidt drove him in on a sharp single to left with the first pitch the slugger saw. The lead stayed at 2-0 until Goldschmidt scored on a Spenser Dennis sac fly with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

By the end of the seventh, the Huskies defense had already come unravelled behind the starter Gaines. The frustration was obvious on the Huskies' right hander, and he was replaced by right handed side-arm pitcher Brian Revels. Revels got two quick outs to start, seeming to deny his 10.95 ERA in 9 1/3 innings, but a single by Martinson spelled the beginning of the end for HBU. The Bobcat short stop stole second and reached third when the ball skipped into center field on the throw. Randall hit a bouncing ball to third base, but the throw was off the bag, sending Martinson home and Randall to second base.

Randall was the tenth runner stranded on the bags for the evening by Texas State, an issue the Cats have had all season. With so many runners left on base at the end of innings, combined with a slow moving offense as of late, head coach Ty Harrington might be concerned. However his boys are still in good command of the Southland's first-place spot they took from Southeastern Louisiana last week. What's more, since a rough week in mid March, these same Bobcats have been on a tear, winning 14 of their last 16. And Bobcat fans can worry less knowing that the bats have posted 142 runs versus the opponents' 61 during this span.

Huskies starter Tristan Gaines had an excellent night on the mound, and for HBU to lose 18-4 last week in San Marcos, Gaines did a fantastic job of keeping his team in this game. But poor defense behind him and the lack of hitting (or, excellent Bobcat pitching) was enough to spell doom for the visitors. Gaines' breaking pitches, and especially his ability to change the eye level of the hitters, proved to be his strong point in the game.

The Cats come out Wednesday night against Prairie View A&M for a 6:30 first pitch, the second meeting between the two this season. The San Marcos favorites rolled over the Panthers 33-3 on March 24, and former Panther Spencer Dennis set a new Texas State record with most hits in a game against his old team, going 7-for-8; The NCAA D-I record is 9-for-9. Live play-by-play on TxStateBobcats.com goes online at 6:15 for the pre-game show.

Mason Robinson- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Bobcats Boast Broomsticks After Southland Series Sweep of SLU

Heading into game three of the weekend series with Southeastern Louisiana University, Texas State baseball started slowly but finished on top to steal a 4-3 winner over the Lions in San Marcos Saturday.

The slow-moving matinee matchup concluded a sweep of the Lions who came to town tied atop the Southland Conference standings. Head coach Ty Harrington and the boys now lead the conference with 13 wins and 5 losses, 2 games in front of Sam Houston State and UT-Arlington. SLU is tied with Lamar in fourth place at 10-8.

Brian Borski took the hill for the Cats to start and gave up three hits early, but was able to keep the attack at bay, prevent any scoring from the opponent. The Bobcats were held to one hit for the first two innings until freshman sensation Tyler Sibley spurred the offense in the bottom of the third, smoking a single to center field. Sibley reached second on a ground out by sophomore outfielder Bret Atwood, setting up an intentional walk to first base slugger Paul Goldschmidt. Designated hitter Keith Prestridge put a hurt on the 0-1 pitch, sending it to the top of the right field wall in a hurry, scoring both runners and giving the home-town favorites a 2-0 edge.

Borski surrendered a full count walk to Lion's outfielder Brandon Street to start the fourth frame. As it does, the base on balls came back to Borski as Street reached second on a passed ball and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead in half, 2-1.

Freshman right hander Josh Janway pulled up chairs for 9 of 10 Bobcats, retiring all but Goldschmidt in the in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Goldschmidt was gifted a free base, and to that point the first baseman received 12 consecutive balls in three at-bats.

Borski seemed to have lost his mojo in the fifth, being pulled by the sixth inning. The usual third baseman Lance Loftin earned the call from the 'pen in the sixth inning, ending Boski's day. Big B concluded with 5 2/3 innings pitched, allowing 2 runs on 9 hits, striking out 3.

To start the seventh, Martinson played back on a bouncing ball to short, forcing an errant throw in a failed attempt to nab the runner. Summerlin followed with a single to right, and Hargis knocked a bouncing ball to second baseman Kyle Livingston who erred on the catch at the waist, allowing Boudreaux to score from third and the Lions to take a 3-2 lead. With no outs, Loftin cooled off to throw out Street on a sacrifice bunt at first, and forced Cryer into a foul pop out.

In the eight inning, Goldschmidt came up for his fourth at bat to face new pitcher Cody Franklin who played third to start the game. Goldschmidt tagged one deep into the afternoon air, nearly to the top of the light pole in left, soaring all the way over the protective netting and onto the top of the wall on the Bobcat softball field. The solo blast was easily 400 feet in distance, but most importantly tied the ball game at 3 a piece.

Prestridge drew a 3-1 walk to follow, and Dennis dug in and walked out of the box after a first pitch change-up found its way into the left fielder's back. Kyle Kubitza walked to load the bases, and pinch hitter Ryan Theriot filled the count and drew a walk to send in the go ahead and eventual winning run.

Michael Russo earned his fifth save in the ninth, sending the bench out onto the field in celebration of the 4-3 win and series sweep. Borski recorded the no decision and Loftin effectively stole the win, his second of the season.

SLU knocked in 3 runs on 10 hits, inefficient to say the least if a team hopes to beat a murderers row-style line up of Texas State hitters. However, the Bobcats wouldn't give one such a confident impression after this game, even if efficiency is 100 percent at 4 runs on 4 hits. The Bobcats stranded 8 runners on the base paths, each time with a runner in scoring position, including a few runners at third.

The Bobcats continue the march to the post season when the boys host Houston Baptist Monday, Apr. 13. Texas State won the first match-up between the two with an 18-4 decision earlier this week. Pre-game airs live on TxStateBobcats.com at 6:15 p.m. and the first pitch for the game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Mason Robinson- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Texas State Softball Rebounds, Ends Day Right Back Where They Started

The Bobcat softball team came into the second game of their Friday night doubleheader at home against UTSA badly needing a win for a number of reasons. First, the immediate need for Texas State was some momentum as the team came in off of a dramatic extra-inning 3-2 loss to their rivals in the first game of the doubleheader where the offense was sorely lacking and a lack of fielding fundamentals almost directly cost the Bobcats the game. Therefore, it was definitely a welcome relief to watch the ladies get their bats and gloves working again as Texas State eliminated most of the mistakes that cost them the previous game and cut their I-35 rivals down to size by a final score of 4-1.

Despite the team's eventually dominant performance, things didn't seem very certain early as starting pitcher Katie Garnett got herself into a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. However, Alex Newton made an outstanding play by grabbing a tough grounder on the run and stepped on second base just in the nick of time to get a streaking Danye Holmes for the third out, and that's when it seemed like the Bobcats hadn't lost their fight quite yet.

An ineffective bottom 1st and another UTSA hitting spurt in the top of the 2nd caused some more early tension, but UTSA again left three runners on base and that's when the fireworks started. McKenzie Baack and Chandler Hall reached 2nd and 3rd base and Ali McCormack brought them home on the wildest and probably most unfortunate triple that fans will likely ever see.

You may wonder why I say "unfortunate," and that is because UTSA center fielder Rudi Cantu and right fielder Leanne Risberg collided in right center field chasing McCormack's shot to the outfield. McCormack could have had an inside-the-park home run if the umpires had not called an injury timeout, but it was absolutely the right call to make. After a few minutes of regaining her composure while lying down Risberg was thankfully able to walk and return to the game under her own power; Rudi Cantu's situation was much scarier as she lay sprawled on the ground for over 10 minutes. Much to the relief of everyone watching, she was finally able to return to her feet with the help of her trainers and hobble into the front seat of the medical cart, however Cantu would not return for the rest of the game. There is no word on her condition as of yet and we hope that she will fully recover as soon as possible.

After Texas State took the 2-0 lead, UTSA fought back with a run of their own in the top of the third, but that was the last we would ever see a consistent spark out of the Roadrunners. Starting pitcher Danye Holmes, who was on her last legs after pitching for nearly 7 and a half innings straight continuing from the previous game, was lit up once again for two runs as Alex Newton and Jenna Emery scored on a pair of RBI's from the Hall sisters. That's when Katie Garnett took over.

The senior Temple College transfer from Elgin only gave up 2 hits in four innings as she forced the visitors into the same sort of offensive struggle that plagued Texas State in the previous game, namely a streak of ineffective pop-ups and groundouts. UTSA's hitters might have been frustrated by then as well as they had left 8 runners on base in the first three innings, but don't let that take anything away from Garnett's performance as she just frustrated them even further.

This win was a big one as Texas State ended the day in the exact same position as they started in the SLC standings with a somewhat comfortable two-game lead over Nicholls and McNeese. UTSA, however, saw their chance to catch up with their conference-leading rivals become much more out of reach. Even more importantly was the self-confidence boost that a dominant win like this can give an outstanding team like this Bobcat softball squad to help offset a tough loss.

Texas State improves to 27-13, 15-5 SLC while UTSA falls to 21-19, 14-9 SLC.

Will Butler- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Softball Loses Against Rival UTSA in Extra Innings

Texas State held a 2-1 lead going into the sixth inning, but timely hitting by UTSA sent the game into overtime where they eventually were able to steal a win. The first game of the double header started with uncharacteristic pitching by freshman pitcher Chandler Hall. Hall came into the game touting a 17-6 record and a low 1.62 ERA., but she quickly found herself in trouble as soon as the game started.

After walking the first batter of the game, Hall quickly gave up two more singles to load the bases. Hall then walked Amber Anderson on 4 strait balls to send in Rudi Cantu for the first run of the game. After a quick pep talk from the infield, Chandler was able to record three-strait outs. The Bobcats were unable to answer in the next frame. After the first inning the score read 1-0 for the Roadrunners.

Following a 1-2-3 inning by the Bobcat pitcher, Texas State was able to tie the game up in the second inning when Ryan Kos tripled to right field. Ali McCormack then singled in the next at-bat to bring Kos home and tie the game at 1-1. After yet another 1-2-3 inning from Hall, the Bobcats took the lead in the third inning; The elder of the Hall-sister combo, Taylor, doubled to left field to lead off. A fielders-choice grounder and a walk put Texas State runners on the corner. Then, little 'sis Chandler layed down a sacrifice bunt to score big 'sis Taylor. The bobcats now had the lead- 2-1.

After walking in the run earlier in the first inning, Hall sat down 13 of the next 14 UTSA batters (the streak interrupted by an error). Chandler Hall had found her mojo. Strikeout after strikeout after strikeout. Hall had 7 stikeouts by the fifth inning. However, she ran into trouble in the sixth inning when she walked the leadoff batter. Caitlin Ivy doubled off of Hall to get on base. After another single, relief pitcher Danyé Holmes drove in Ivy to tie the game again. This time at 2-2. Unable to produce anything in the final inning, the Bobcats and Roadrunners were headed into extra innings to decide this one.

The deciding score came in the ninth inning when a Texas State error gave UTSA a baserunner to lead off. A fielding mishap by Bobcat catcher Megan Parten allowed baserunners to reach second and third base. Then, Chandler Hall walked a batter to load the bases. Caitlin Ivy stepped into the box and singled to centerfield to bring in Cantu for the would-be game-winning run. UTSA pitcher Holmes closed the game with a "three-up and three-down".

The Bobcats wasted a great outing by freshman pitcher Chandler Hall. Even though the game ran 2 innings longer than scheduled, Hall was still able to complete the game. She ended the game with 11 strikeouts and only gave up 8 hits in 9 innings of work. After scoring two runs in the first 3 innings, the Bobcat offense was shut out by the surgical pitching from Danyé Holmes. The loss would drop Texas State's overall record to 26-13 with more importantly, a 14-5 record in the Southland Conference.

But luckily for the bobcats, it was a double-header and they would have a chance to rebound...

Colby Howell- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Bobcats Atop SLC After Impressive 9-3 Win

Forget Purdue, forget Texas Tech, and yes, forget Baylor. This was, so far, the biggest win of the season for the Texas State baseball team. The Southeastern Louisiana Lions and the Bobcats came into tonight’s game with the knowledge that both teams had identical overall and conference records (20-10, 10-5 SLC) and were tied for first in the conference. The 9-3 win for the Cats at the end of nine innings likely left fans feeling joyful and a bit more confident going into the second game of the series tomorrow night.

Despite the sizable victory margin for the good guys, things weren’t always easy against a talented Lions team during the game. After an initial spurt of 2 runs in the first, the Bobcat offense stagnated and starting pitcher Kane Holbrooks repeatedly got himself into a situation that pitchers universally dread—the 2-out offensive barrage. As SLU tied up the game at 2-2 in the fourth, one could observe the hometown fans were somewhat perturbed by the sudden loss of momentum and that Texas State was on the edge of letting a promising start slip away.

However, the Bobcats got the spark they needed in the bottom of the 5th as the all-time career home run school record holder Paul Goldschmidt blasted a two-run homer to right center that landed out the outer edge of the equipment shack and probably traveled close to 420 feet.

After that, every aspect of the game went the Bobcats’ way. At least one run was scored in every following inning as Southeastern starting pitcher Ryan Boudreaux and every reliever the Lions tried to throw at Texas State was subsequently overwhelmed by the sheer relentlessness of Dennis, Prestridge and company.

Kane Holbrooks also got a second wind and proceeded to stymie the Lion hitters until the last out of the 9th inning, when relief pitcher Tyler Brundridge came in to assist the exhausted starter in clinching the win. While it spoiled what would have been a complete game for the senior out of Fort Worth, the Bobcat ace shouldn’t hang his head because his efforts reduced a Southeastern offense that was known for nickling-and-diming opponents via small-ball to a sputtering ground-out and pop-up machine.

A couple more individual accolades to give out: Sir Spencer finished 4 for 5 and had 2 rbi’s to bring his ludicrously high batting average back over .500 to a .506 mark, while Prestridge finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Bret Atwood, Jason Martinson, Kyle Livingstone, and Ben Theriot also finished with a run batted in. Also, Theriot made a highlight-reel play in the 3rd inning as he fully extended himself in the dirt to make a diving catch of a foul pop-up ball that practically hit the moon before it came down.

Texas State improves to 21-10, 11-5 SLC while SLU drops into a two-way tie for second in the SLC with UT-Arlington as their record adjusts to 20-11, 10-6 SLC. The current SLC leaders will look to guarantee a series victory over Southeastern Louisiana tomorrow at 6:30 pm at Bobcat Field. You can either listen to the game on txstatebobcats.com or if you're still in town during Easter weekend we invite you to come on out and support your Bobcats!

Will Butler- KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Lights Out! Bobcats Get Win

On a cool April night the Texas State Bobcat Baseball team lit the fireworks to beat the Houston Baptist Huskies 18-4, getting the Cats their 20th win of the season.

Spencer Dennis continued his hitting ways going 2-2, with 5 RBIs that included a three run home run shot going off the lights of the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth that gave fans images of Robert Redford in "The Natural". You could almost hear the iconic theme music from the music as Dennis trotted around the bases to open the game up to a comfortable 10-2 lead going into the 7th inning.

The night was capped off by another three three run home run shot by Soph. SS Jason Martinson in the 7th. The softball complex grounds crew will thank Martinson for having to fill the divot in right field that was caused by the booming home run that had no chance of staying in the ball park. Martinson had a solid performance going 2-4, with 4 RBIs and 1 run scored.

After the smoke from the fireworks settled, the Cats were looking at an 18-2 advantage and closed the door on the Huskies with a couple of unneeded innings. The Bobcats definitely 10-run-ruled the Huskies, but the pre-game decision not to have the rule in place made fans curious. With the Huskies coming into the game at a (2-23) record, why would you not agree? None the less, the Cats got the mid-week win, which has been a good trend for the Cats as of late. The Cats haven't lost a mid-week game in almost a month and that was against Baylor in one of the weirdest and wildest games thats been played at the new Bobcat Field complex.

The Cats started Matt Steiner, who has improved every single time he heads to the mound. The young Freshman pitcher game into the game versus the Huskies fresh off his good performance in the big Baylor win last week, and he pitched a darn good three innings to start the game versus the Huskies. The Huskies went through only 11 batters in the first three innings and couldn't even muster a hit off the confident Steiner. It wasn't until the fourth where Steiner started to get in some trouble and then Head Coach Ty Harrington decided to pull the improving pitcher out of the game.

Although Steiner's stamina seems to fall out around the fourth and fifth innings, he is a promising pitcher for the Bobcats in the near future. Steiner went 4 2/3 innings when Garret Carruth came in to record the win after pitching 2 1/3 innings. The good efforts from the first two pitchers on the mound was all the Bobcats needed against the Huskies winning with a final score of 18-4.

With the Bobcat bats being so good this year, it's hard for anyone to count them out of a game... Even if they're down by 10 runs. The Cats put on 8 runs in the 7th inning keeping the trend of the "big rally" innings alive.

The Bobcats are now (20-10) on the season and will hope to keep their bats alive as they will face the Southeastern Louisiana Lions in a three game series starting on Thursday. This could be the Cats' biggest series of the season with the Lions being tie for first place in the SLC with the Cats. The Bobcats continue to have major success against SLC opponents and have only lost one series in the SLC this season. Still with all of that said, the Bobcats have yet to sweep a series and would love nothing more than to get that sweep this weekend.

The Bobcats are scheduled to start the series against the Lions on Thursday at 6:30. You can listen to all the action on stretch internet by logging on to txstatebobcats.com.

James McNeal- KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor

DOWN GOES BAYLOR!

The Bobcats bite the Big XII again as they step up to the challenge to take out the #7 Baylor Bears 5-3 for the first time since 2005.

Bret Atwood, the second batter of the ball game, lined on down to left field. Baylor left fielder Adam Hornung dove and missed the ball and Atwood was off to the races. After his stand up triple, Paul Goldschmidt got the 132nd RBI of his Bobcat career. He is now only eight back from tying the career Texas State record for RBIs.

Young freshman pitcher Matt Steiner started the game for the Bobcats. You may remember he started the last game against the Bears only to be pulled before the end of the second inning. That wasn’t the case tonight. Working the outside corners to perfection he took Baylor out three-up-three-down with two strikeouts to end the first inning with the Bobcats up 1-0.

The Bobcats left two on in the top of the second and it looked like Matt Steiner was ready to leave the mound in a hurry; only this time in a good way. He struck out the first two batters of the bottom of the second inning to make that four strike outs with only five batters faced. Then he got himself in a bit of trouble. But any questions one might have had about the freshman pitcher were answered when he struck out his fifth batter of the day to work his way out of the second inning.

Tyler Sibley walked to the plate to start off the third inning with the Bobcats leading 1-0. He walked off the field a few moments later with the Bobcats leading 2-0 after a solo shot over the right field wall. It was a line drive shot that never reached higher than 20 feet off the ground for Sibley’s fourth homerun of the season. Texas State left two runners on base this inning to continue a theme from the entire game.

Steiner did his work again but so did the Bears pitching staff. It was still 2-0 Bobcats going into the bottom of the fourth inning. Steiner hit the first batter up and that was followed by a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Steiner stepped up to get two quick outs and looked like he was going to get out of the inning. Baylor catcher Brooks Kimmey then hit one to left field. Both runners came around to score. Spenser Dennis hit Jason Martinson, the cut off man, and when Kimmey ran to second expecting the throw home Martinson threw him out to end the inning. It was a brand new ball game after four innings all tied up at 2-2.

Texas State answered quickly in the top of the fifth. Atwood singled, stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. With two outs Keith Prestridge singled up the middle to score Atwood, then he advanced to second on a steal. A Ben Theriot single a few batters later brought him in from second and the Bobcats once again led by two.

Bryan Rutledge relieved Steiner and got Texas State through the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth the Bobcats once again stranded a runner on third base and this would be the third runner stranded on third base in just six innings

Tyler Brundridge came in for Rutledge and navigated the Bobcats through the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a run. In the top of the second Texas State added another run as Spenser Dennis crossed the plate after a single by Lance Loftin. In the bottom of the eighth inning Shaver Hansen hit a solo shot of Brundridge to make the score 5-3 in favor of the Cats.

The top of the ninth for the Bobcats stared out well but ended with stranding two runners on base again. The Bobcats would strand 12 runners all game. So the bottom of the ninth comes up and the Cats are still up by two.

Michael Russo comes to the mound as the closer and beams the first batter to put the winning run at the plate. Three outs to go and any swing can tie up the ball game against the Baylor Bears; who have 28 homeruns in 23 games. On top of that the Bears have won five games this year in the last at bat, so everyone knows they are clutch hitters. Ben Booker stepped in and shot one deep to center field. Atwood stood under it just a few yards in front of the warning track and got the first out of the last inning. Then Dan Evatt came in as a pinch hitter and fouled up a ball to Goldschmidt at first base for the second harmless out of the ninth inning. So when Landis Ware flew out to Kyle Livingstone who came in at second base in the ninth inning it was official. The Bobcats beat the number seven team in the country 5-3.

The fact that the first meeting was a 22-17 shoot out and the second meeting was a pitchers duel shows the quality of both of the teams play. It was a complete game for the Bobcats with five runs scored on eleven hits with no errors. This makes Texas State 2-2 against the Big XII this season. Next up for the Cats is an away series at Central Arkansas Friday through Sunday. You can catch Texas State back at home and on 89.9 KTSW next Tuesday against Houston Baptist. Pre-game starts at 6:15pm.

Dalton Sweat- KTSW Sports Staff Writer