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.
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
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