Bobcats split doubleheader

Texas State split Saturday's doubleheader at Coastal Carolina to salvage the road series. The Chanticleers took game one 13-6 and the Bobcats claimed the nightcap 10-8 to earn their first-ever win at Springs Brooks Stadium.

'I thought that was a really gutsy win for this team. After the first two games, they could have easily shut it down but they put their spikes right back on and found a way,' said head coach Steven Trout. 'Even when Coastal kept fighting back, we kept scoring and made big pitches and plays on defense for the win. Ended the week 3-2, so it's a winning week!'

With the results, TXST is now 16-8 and 3-3 in the Sun Belt Conference while CCU is 14-7 overall with a 4-2 conference mark.

Game 1

August Ramirez led the Bobcats with a two-hit game and scored twice. Cade Manning plated three runs on his fifth homer of the season. Recording his first collegiate hit was Coldon Kiser, which brought home two runs.

Picking up the win was Matthew Potok as he struck out 10 in six innings while allowing a run on four hits and two walks. Nathan Medrano (1-2) surrendered eight runs in 2.1 innings to take the loss.

Otto Wofford held the hosts scoreless in the last two innings as he struck out two. Austin Smith worked two innings and Cameron Bush tossed 1.2 frames of relief.

The Chanticleers scored first with an RBI triple off the bat of Derek Bender in the first. The next half inning saw Ramirez knot the score with a solo home run to right center on a 1-1 pitch.

However, CCU answered right back in the bottom of the second on the first pitch of the frame when Tanner Garrison sent the offering over the left field wall. The hosts would add on two more in the inning to go up 4-1. The scoring continued in three of the next four frames as the Chants built a 13-2 advantage.

The ninth began with back-to-back singles from Daylan Pena and Ramirez. Two batters later, Manning crushed a 2-2 offering to right field for a three-run long ball. CCU made a pitching change that would see Ryder Hernandez and Ben McClain plunked backto- back and both would move into scoring position on a wild pitch. The first hit of Kiser's career would be a bloop single to center that brought home both runners for the final runs of the game.

Game 2

Earning the win was Jack Stroud (1-1) after working an inning of relief with all three outs coming via a strikeout. Rhett McCaffety earned his second save of the season after retiring the final batter of the contest. Suffering the loss was Darin Horn (1-1), who gave up seven runs on seven hits and three walks in 1.2 innings.

Zeke Wood returned to the mound after missing his start last week due to an injury. On a pitch limit, he struck out five in four innings while surrendering three runs on three base knocks and two free passes. Triston Dixon tossed 3.2 innings out of the pen with three strikeouts.

Finishing with two hits apiece was Davis Powell, Hernandez, Manning, McClain and Ramirez. Both Powell and Ramirez hit a home run while Mc-Clain had two doubles. Ramirez ended the night cap with three RBI and both McClain and Powell drove in two apiece.

For the first time in the series, Texas State scored first when Powell hit his 10th double of the season and then advanced the next 180 feet on two wild pitches. CCU would tie the game when Payton Eeles led off the bottom of the frame with a solo homer.

The second inning saw the Bobcats exploded for six runs, all of which came with two outs. Mc-Clain plated one on a double and Powell hit is his second round tripper of the season to bring in two runs. Ramirez hit is second home run of the day with this one being a three-run shot to make it a 7-1 advantage.

Both the fourth and fifth innings would see the Chanticleers score two runs and then add another in the sixth to cut the lead to one.

Leading off the seventh, Ramirez was plunked and two batters later Peyton Lewis reached on a fielding error by the shortstop. That play would be big as Manning followed with an RBI double and Ryder Hernandez brought home a run on a single. A wild pitch on ball four to Mc-Clain plated Texas State's third run of the frame to increase the advantage to 10-6.

Dixon would shutout CCU over the next two innings. After surrendering a leadoff single in the ninth, the right-hander recorded back-to-back strikeouts. The Chanticleers would not go away and had three consecutive base knocks that cut the lead to two and put the tying run at second base.

McCaffety was called on to get the final out and would face Eeles, the leading hitter in the conference. Getting to a 1-2 count, the junior lefthander induced a groundout to Hernandez at third to finish off the game and salvage the series.

Next up for TXST is a trip to South Texas to take on UTRGV on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.