Texas State baseball ( 21-31 overall, 9-12 Sun Belt) suffered a 3-0 series sweep against the Georgia State University Panthers (15-35 overall, 10-11 Sun Belt) from May 14-15.
The Bobcats came into the matchup on a high as they won three straight series. On the flip side, the Panthers were on a three-game losing streak and had not played since May 2 after their May 7-9 series against Belmont University was canceled.
The Bobcats took charge early in game one as junior infielder Dalton Shuffield hit a three-run home run to go up 3-0 at the bottom of the first.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard at the top of the third off an RBI grounder from junior infielder Griffin Cheney. They took a 4-3 lead at the top of the fifth off a three-run shot from sophomore outfielder Josh Smith.
A solo homer to left field from senior infielder Jaxon Williams tied the contest at the bottom of the inning.
The Panthers took a 5-4 lead at the top of the seventh via a solo homer from freshman catcher Blaine Marchman. Texas State could not grab a hit after the score, allowing Cheney to hit a two-run shot to go up 7-4 at the top of the ninth.
In game two, Georgia State took control early. At the top of the first, freshman infielder Will Mize hit an RBI double to go up 1-0. Sophomore infielder Ashby Smith followed up with an RBI double of his own. At the next at-bat, junior infielder Justin Glass hit a two-run homer to go up 4-0. The Panthers scored four runs in three straight at-bats.
At the bottom of the inning, Texas State senior outfielder Will Hollis hit a two-run homer down the right-field line. Later in the frame, graduate catcher Bryce Bonner hit a sac fly out to center field, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Despite the hot start for both teams, neither scored for the next four innings grabbing three hits apiece in that span.
The Panthers scored a run at the top of the sixth via a wild pitch from sophomore pitcher Reece Gould. They extended their lead 6-3 at the top of the seventh off a sac fly from Ashby Smith. Glass followed up with a three-run homer to go up 9-3.
The Bobcats managed to score a solo homer from Hollis at the bottom of the inning but that was all they would get. The 9-4 victory gave Georgia State the series.
In the final contest of the weekend, Georgia State took another early lead as Josh Smith hit a two-run homer to go up 2-0 at the top of the first.
At the top of the second, junior infielder Kalen Puckett, hit an RBI single to the right side. Mize followed up with a two-RBI double out to center field to go up 5-0. Puckett nabbed another RBI single at the top of the fourth, extending the Panthers’ lead 6-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Texas State senior infielder Cole Coffey hit a three-run homer, cutting the Panthers’ lead in half. Junior outfielder John Wuthrich hit an RBI single to bring the score to 6-4. Later in the frame, junior infielder Justin Thompson grabbed an RBI single, making it a one-score game.
With the game now neck-and-neck, neither team scored for the next three innings. The Bobcats had two hits in that span versus the Panthers’ one.
The Panthers extended their lead to 7-5 at the top of the eighth off a Bobcats’ throwing error. The Bobcats had a final chance to tie at the bottom of the ninth with two runners on base but a fly ball from graduate catcher Tucker Redden ended the game and solidified the sweep.
With the loss, the Bobcats will play their third game against Texas Christian University this season before playing their final series against Coastal Carolina University the following weekend.
Texas State will face TCU at 6:30 p.m. on May 18 at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. This game will air on ESPN+.