.png)
Every Bobcat that started in Texas State’s lineup got on base Tuesday night.
The maroon and gold took 11 bases on balls and added eight hits to run-rule UTSA (10-7) in eight innings at Bobcat Ballpark, 11-1.
“I thought we were actually really patient at the dish and I think we walked — let's see here — 11 times. So you know, really and truly, that's 11 singles,” head coach Steven Trout said. “Guys get caught up in averages and all the above, but we were on the base 11 more times. It's just like hitting a line drive right up the middle of the field.”
The hosts routinely slumped offensively at the beginning of each of their three games against Bethune-Cookman over the weekend. But the Bobcats (13-4) got hot early Tuesday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning.
Senior second baseman Jaxon Williams grounded out to shortstop to lead off the bottom of the frame, and senior first baseman Cole Coffey struck out in the next at-bat. Junior third baseman Justin Thompson followed with the first walk of the night and the Roadrunners chose to relieve senior starting pitcher Cole McKay after just 1.2 innings.
Sophomore right fielder Peyton Lewis launched the first home run of his career down the right field line four pitches into the next count.
“He threw me a changeup middle in and just left it up. And then I turned on it. I didn't know if it was gonna be fair or foul, but it came in my favor,” Lewis said. “It felt pretty good. I mean, I just stayed back on the ball, saw it deep and drove it.”
The team wasn’t finished, even with two outs. Senior catcher Tucker Redden singled to shortstop. Senior left fielder Will Hollis was walked. Junior outfielder John Wuthrich drove Redden home with a line drive double to left field, forcing UTSA to make another pitching change.
Junior shortstop Dalton Shuffield and senior designated hitter Wesley Faison added a pair of RBI singles to extend the lead to five before Williams grounded out again to end the inning.
Williams added another run in the fifth inning after receiving a base on balls, stealing second on a passed ball, advancing to third on a wild pitch and reaching home plate on a throwing error.
The Bobcats continued to show sharp plate discipline throughout the remainder of the game. Hollis, Wuthrich, Shuffield and Faison were consecutively walked in the sixth frame, giving Hollis a free score. Coffey hit a three-RBI double that hit the right centerfield fence the next play.
“We took a lot of walks where, if one guy chases, then now the whole inning's completely different,” Trout said. “So I thought they did a really good job and then we got some big hits and guys on base.”
Faison ended the game on a walk-off solo homer to left center that triggered the mercy rule in the first at-bat of the eighth inning, 11-1.
Hollis finished the night batting 1-1, recording a hit in his 12th-straight game and taking four walks. Bobcat freshman starting pitcher Tony Robie received the win after pitching 5.0 innings, giving up seven hits, no walks and one run while striking out one batter. UTSA cycled through eight pitchers during the game.
Texas State hosts Prairie View A&M (4-14) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the team’s last game before the start of Sun Belt play.
“I think tomorrow, you know, you gotta show up and go play the game,” Trout said. “And anytime you get five games in a weekend — big crowd tonight, I'm sure a four o'clock start (Wednesday), I'm sure there'll be a lot of people here tomorrow. So we gotta get up and go have a good approach and go take it right to Prairie View.”
