Texas State baseball (8-10) beat the Rice University Owls (8-8) in a 16-5 run-in victory on March 17.
The contest was a rematch of the March 7 game at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic where the Bobcats won 9-1.
Graduate pitcher Garrett Herrmann started the game for the Bobcats and retired three straight batters in the first inning along with a pair of strikeouts.
In the bottom of the inning, sophomore outfielder/infielder Jose Gonzalez hit an RBI single allowing senior outfielder Will Hollis to grab the first score of the game 1-0. Soon after, junior infielder Justin Thompson ran home to bring the score to 2-0. An RBI single by senior infielder Jaxon Williams gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead at the end of the first.
At the top of the second, Herrmann went on to have another one-two-three inning with two strikeouts. He was subbed out before the start of the third and finished the day with four strikeouts, no hits allowed.
By the time the game reached the bottom of the fourth, the flood gates opened. Rice’s errant pitching and poor fielding allowed Texas State to score 12 runs in the frame. The Owls made three pitching substitutions in the period until they finally stopped the bleeding with a third out.
Despite being down 15-0 at the top of the fifth, Rice ended the shut-out off a home run by freshman infielder/outfielder Connor Walsh and an unearned score by freshman catcher Justin Long to slightly cut the deficit to 15-2.
A pair of RBI singles by Long and sophomore outfielder Antonio Cruz brought the Bobcats’ lead down to 15-4. Texas State scored in the bottom of the inning to bring the score to 16-4.
Rice made a final score in the seventh inning off a throwing error bringing the game to 16-5. Texas State freshman pitcher Cade Medlin struck Walsh out to end the contest with a run-rule victory.
Thompson finished the night hitting three RBI and a run. Redden, Gonzalez and Williams each had two RBI apiece.
Texas State will go on to face the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to start Sun Belt Conference play from March 19-21 at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock, Arkansas.