By Randy Stevens
Sports Editor
San Marcos — After winning three consecutive games last weekend over Penn State, the Texas State baseball team has proved that it can hit when inside the friendly confines of its home park at Bobcat Field.
Texas State rolled off 40 runs in the three-game sweep of Penn State, and the weekend before the team racked up 18 runs in a series win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
But since opening the season with a three-game sweep at Houston, the Bobcats have struggled on the road. The team will try to reverse that trend tonight when Texas State visits Texas Tech for a 6:30 p.m. game in Lubbock.
While the Bobcats have had trouble on the road, the team’s they have face aren’t slouches. Texas State most recently suffered a 4-3 loss to third-ranked Texas, and the team’s other losses were to teams that qualified to the NCAA Tournament last season (Baylor, Texas A&M and Western Kentucky). Tonight, weather permitting, the Bobcats have a chance to beat a team with notable name recognition in the Red Raiders who have lost their last four past games. The Red Raiders were swept by No. 7 Texas Christian after splitting two games with Gonzaga.
The Bobcats have showcased a .329 batting average in the past four games, led by senior Kyle Livingstone's .625 mark at the plate. Livingstone, alongside Jason Martinson, Shaun Garcia and Andrew Stumph all launched home runs against the Nittany Lions.
The Bobcat pitching staff held Texas and Penn State to a combined 20 runs, anchored by Sunday starter Lee Colon. The junior tossed seven innings and fanned a career-high eight batters. Overall, the team’s ERA sits at 4.54 with four relief pitchers sitting on a 0.00 ERA.
Matt Steiner, who has seen one inning in relief this season, will start tonight. Steiner faced Penn State on Friday night, retiring the side in the ninth, including the game-ending strikeout. Last season, the freshman made five starts in his six appearances and posted a 4.76 ERA with a 1-1 record.
Right-hander Louis Head (1-1) will start for Tech with a 10.22 ERA in 12 innings of work. The sophomore was tagged for six runs off four hits in his last appearance — a March 7 meeting with Houston. Overall the Red Raiders pitching staff owns a 6.51 ERA.
At the plate, the Red Raiders are batting .304 led by Michael Reed and Scott LeJeune. Reed is batting .362, while LeJeune is hitting .304 with 11 hits for extra bases and a team-high 21 RBI.
Texas State and Texas Tech last met March 25, 2009 at Bobcat Field where the Bobcats took a 10-4 decision. Texas State trails all-time series 6-5.
Following the meeting with Texas Tech, Texas State jumps backs into Southland Conference action over the weekend with a three-game series against Sam Houston State in Huntsville.
