After an up-and-down past few weeks, Texas State baseball (11-5) managed to put together its best performance since Opening Weekend and as result picked up its biggest win of the 2023 season by knocking off 11th-ranked Texas Christian University (9-7) 8-4 in front of a sellout crowd at Bobcat Ballpark Tuesday night.
“Tonight started with Tony Robie on the mound. We gave him the start tonight and he took advantage of it,” head coach Steven Trout said after the game. “He threw the ball really well. If his pitch count was built up more, he would have kept going. He gave us exactly what we needed.”
The right-handed junior pitcher only allowed four hits, two runs, no walks and struck out two Horned Frog batters on a 52-pitch count in four innings.
Left-handed junior pitcher Jack Stroud came out of the bullpen to relieve Robie at the start of the bottom of the fifth inning. Stroud didn’t allow any runs, gave up two hits and struck out five batters over 3.2 innings of work.
The first points of the night came from TCU in the second inning. Junior centerfielder Kurtis Byrne scored an unearned run off a RBI single from freshman outfielder Jake Duer, giving the Horned Frogs a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, three of Texas State’s first four batters were walked to load the bases. A single into centerfield from junior centerfielder August Ramirez brought two Bobcat runners home to take the lead at 2-1.
Freshman infielder Chase Mora continued his red-hot hitting streak with an RBI single up the middle that allowed sophomore infielder Daylan Pena to score, increasing the lead to 3-1.
The Bobcats capped off the third inning with senior infielder Peyton Lewis hitting his first homerun of the season to make the score 5-1.
TCU cut into the deficit by scoring its second run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Texas State responded in the bottom of the inning starting with senior outfielder Jose Gonzalez blasting a home run into the softball field to bring himself and senior outfielder Ben McClain home to make the score 7-2 after four innings.
Lewis scored his second run of the game and the final point for Texas State in the bottom of the fifth inning.
TCU only managed to muster up two more runs for the remainder of the game, bringing the final score to 8-4.
“Offensively, we got after them tonight,” Trout said. “Good swings in the middle of the field and opposite field home runs, although we left some runners out there tonight. Really good quality win with only four free 90s on the night.”
Texas State will look to build off the momentum established from this victory as it begins conference play this weekend by hosting a three-game series against conference newcomer and 25th-ranked Southern Miss from March 17-19.
Opening pitch of the series between Texas State and Southern Miss is set for 6 p.m. on March 17 at Bobcat Ballpark.