Texas State downs Appalachian State in series opener

Texas State earned its fifth straight win with an 8-3 victory against Appalachian State on Friday inside Beaver Field in Boone, N.C. 

The Bobcats (17-9, 5-2 Sun Belt) and Mountaineers (10-14, 3-4) swapped runs in the first inning. 

Texas State scored the first run of the game with a solo home run from junior second baseman Jaxon Williams in the opening frame. But App State responded with a solo homer of its own by freshman second baseman Luke Drumheller. 

The Bobcats regained the lead at 2-1 when senior catcher Felipe Rodriguez hit a sac-fly in the second inning. 

The Mountaineers, however, grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the bottom frame when redshirt junior  third baseman Luke Allison ripped a two-run homer. 

A two-run home run by redshirt senior center fielder Skyler Valentine in the fifth inning put Texas State back on top, 4-3. Valentine became the first Bobcat to hit two homers in a game since Derek Scheible did so against UC Santa Barbara on March 11, 2018 when he slapped a solo home run in the seventh inning. 

Texas State put the game away with three runs in the ninth with a two-run RBI single from sophomore right fielder John Wutrich and an RBI double by Rodriguez. 

Junior pitcher Nicholas Fraze earned the win for the Bobcats. He tallied six strikeouts in six innings pitched. Sophomore pitcher Will Sprinkle was handed the loss after he gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in 4.1 innings of work. 

Every Bobcat starter recorded at least one hit. Texas State finished the night with 15 hits. Sophomore shortstop Dalton Shuffield and Valentine both went 3-for-5 at the plate. Valentine led the Bobcats with three RBIs and three runs scored. 

Texas State’s three-game series against App State continued on Saturday. The second game of the weekend matchup ended after press time. The series finale begins on Sunday at 11 a.m.