Texas State splits end of BYU series

Steven Trout told everyone to take a couple of deep breaths.

Texas State was trailing BYU 2-0 midway through the third. The head coach thought his players were trying too hard — they were losing their discipline at the plate.

“I feel like early in the season, everybody’s always trying to do too much in there,” Trout said. “You know, you’re kind of waiting for that one inning and waiting for that big hit so everybody can just take a deep breath.”

It took another three innings, but the maroon and gold’s big inning finally came. The team scored 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 11-6 win inside Bobcat Ballpark on Monday. 

Cougars sophomore right-handed pitcher Carter Smith kept the hosts off the board until he was relieved after 4.2 innings by freshman lefty Boston Mabeus. Texas State junior shortstop Cameron Gibbons struck out to begin the sixth frame, but junior centerfielder John Wuthrich singled to right field in the next at-bat. Senior right fielder Johnny Gonzales flew out to left field, but senior second baseman Jaxon Williams followed it up with a walk, advancing Wuthrich to second.

Junior designated hitter Wesley Faison swung at the first pitch he saw and sent the ball over the left field fence for a three-RBI home run to give the Bobcats a 3-2 lead.

“We were kind of struggling offensively at the beginning of the game and we grinded through some at-bats and got some guys on base,” Faison said. “And luckily, I’ve been struggling lately, and it was good to put up a good swing to help the team win.

Their starter was really good … but we battled through the at-bats, got him out of the game. Then, as you saw, as soon as we got the other arms in there, we broke it wide open.”

The team kept piling on after Faison’s big hit. Freshman third baseman Cade Manning and senior first baseman Cole Coffey were both walked before BYU made a second pitching change. Senior catcher Tucker Redden was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, loading the bases with two outs. Senior left fielder Will Hollis singled to right field to move everyone up a base and send Manning home.

Gibbons and Wuthrich both took a base on balls in their second appearance at the plate of the inning. Gonzales was also hit by pitch, resulting in a third free run for the hosts before the visitors made another pitching change.

Williams added a two-RBI single through the right side before Faison ended the inning by grounding out to first.

“We’ve got great players and they work extremely hard, they take a lot of pride in what they do,” Trout said. “For me, I never try to panic because I’ve got all the faith in the world in them. So I didn’t see a 10 spot coming, but I saw something better coming than what was going on.”

Gibbons added an RBI single to seal the 11-6 victory. Freshman sophomore left-hander Austin Smith (2-0) was credited with the win. Sophomore RHP Triston Dixon also earned his first save of the year.

Trout hoped that the momentum from Monday’s win would carry over into the series finale on Tuesday. But Texas State was hamstrung by injuries and made some uncharacteristic mistakes to lose to BYU in 10 innings, 7-6.

Redshirt sophomore outfielder Ben McClain was injured during Saturday’s opening day doubleheader and didn’t return for Monday or Tuesday’s game. Junior shortstop Dalton Shuffield tweaked his ankle running to first base on Monday and did not return for the series finale. And Manning hurt his arm diving for a ground ball on Tuesday, exiting the game early and leaving the Bobcats short-handed. The team also committed three errors during the game, which would have tied its season high in 2020.

The teams were tied at 6-6 after nine innings, sending the game into extras. The international tie-breaker rule was in effect, allowing runners to be placed on second base at the start of each frame. The Cougars took advantage, moving its runner to third and using a sacrifice fly to score the go-ahead run.

Gibbons used a sac bunt to move Redden to third base to start the bottom of the 10th. Senior Bryce Bonner pinch hit for Manning but struck out swinging. Junior centerfielder Isaiah Ortega-Jones flew out to center in the next at-bat, resulting in a 7-6 loss for the hosts and a series split for Texas State (2-2) and BYU (2-2).

Trout said the team isn’t dealing with any serious injuries but will be cautious with bringing players back. He’d rather have them miss a few games than a whole season.

The Bobcats squared up with Sam Houston State (0-0) on Wednesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, the game ending after press time. The head coach was excited to see how his group would handle some adversity.

“Like I told our guys, nobody thinks we’re gonna win tomorrow because we’re on our fifth game. And you know, we’ve got a lot of guys that are out already and a lot of arms that have already thrown,” Trout said. “But that’s the (modus operandi) of this team. There’s no complaining in this year and with COVID and with everything going on, you’re going to have matchups like this. And so, I’m looking forward to it.”