Bobcats take series opener over Jaguars 6-3

Texas State took the series opener against the South Alabama Jaguars winning 6-3 after scoring six unanswered runs. 

The Bobcats were boosted by the return of freshman Ryne Farber who went 3-5 from the plate with two RBIs. 

“It is always great to be on the field,” Farber said. “I was itching to get back and I finally got healthy. God is good and I’m glad to be back.”

The Bobcats struck first in the bottom of the second inning. After right fielder Cade Manning was hit by the pitch before stealing second, shortstop Davis Powell connected with a RBI single into right field to score Manning. 

Despite only scoring one run in the inning, the score was critical for the Bobcats and Head Coach Steven Trout. 

“It's about gathering momentum,” Trout said. “You want to get the momentum and keep the momentum. That has been the key with the shutout innings after we score then keep stacking it on. … As soon as you keep the momentum, you have a chance.”

Texas State tacked on a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when second baseman Chase Mora hit a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to score third baseman Aaron Lugo on third base giving the Bobcats a 2-0 lead. 

While the Texas State offense continued to needle the Jaguar defense, it was the Bobcat defense that kept the team in the game. 

The combination of Cameron Bush and Austin Eaton proved to be the difference maker. Through seven innings of work, the duo kept the Jaguars off the scoreboard while allowing a combined four hits, no runs, two walks and striking out four batters. 

“That was the goal to get Cam through the lineup one time and get Eaton in there with about 50 pitches,” Trout said. “It was a good job of [Eaton] coming in. You don’t see guys alot and when you start to see them three to four times you start to square up but when it is once or twice it makes it difficult. It was a really good job by them coming in and attacking which was the key of the night.”

The Bobcats were able to extend their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning by loading up the bases with no outs. 

Up to bat, Farber took advantage of the situation by connecting with a two-run RBI single to extend the lead at 4-0.

“He is working really hard,” Trout said. “He has been working on his timing, sitting up in the bullpen, working on his timing and being ready when it was his time health wise. It was a really good night from him so we will see how he feels in the morning. But he played well and moved well. He is beyond his years in terms of maturity and his bats are really fun.”

 Center fielder Kameron Weil followed up Farber with an RBI double, pushinig the lead up to 5-0. Aaron Lugo added the final touches with a sacrifice fly in deep left field to make it a 6-0 game. 

Despite the Jaguars scoring three runs in the top of the eighth, closer Jonathan Martinez shut the door on a South Alabama comeback to seal the win at 6-3. 

“It’s been three weeks since we won on Friday,” Trout said. “It’s the momentum of winning on a Friday night. It was a really good job and we changed it up a little bit this weekend.”

The Bobcats return to play tomorrow looking to get the series win against South Alabama. 

First pitch has moved up to 11:00 a.m. from the original start time of 2:00 p.m. due the incoming storms set to hit San Marcos on Saturaday.