Texas State baseball (9-8) notched back-to-back wins after defeating Houston Christian (7-10) 12-6 Wednesday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Bobcats put up three separate four-run innings on their way to winning their final matchup before conference play begins.
The offense was led by junior infielder Aaron Lugo. Lugo provided half of the Bobcats total offense, finishing with three hits and six RBI’s.
“[Lugo] loves to drive guys in,” Texas State Head Coach Steven Trout said. “We’re trying to give him more chances to have guys in front of him, get guys in scoring position and [let] him drive them in.”
Texas State junior right-hand pitcher Calen Graham got the start on the mound. Graham got into hot water in the first inning by allowing two earned runs. He corrected and pitched two scoreless frames before handing the ball to senior right-hand pitcher Peyton Zabel.
Zabel had another strong outing, allowing just one run on one hit in three and two-thirds innings of work, finishing with four strikeouts.
“[Zabel has] really good stuff,” Trout said. “For him, it’s about getting out there and commanding the baseball, and that’s what he did.”
The Houston Christian lineup got off to a strong start. Senior outfielder Samuel Benjamin led the game off with a solo home run, putting the Huskies on the board first. After a double steal attempt paid off later in the inning, the Huskies found themselves up two in the first inning.
Graham and Zabel’s combined efforts stifled the Huskies’ offense, allowing just one run before the eighth inning. When sophomore right-hand pitcher Cameron O’Banan entered in the eighth inning for Texas State, Houston Christian broke through on the scoreboard for three runs.
The grand slam by Lugo in the bottom half of the eighth inning ended the Huskies’ rally and allowed senior pitcher Tony Robie to come in and set them down to close out the game.
Next, Texas State begins conference play with a three-game series against Appalachian State University (11-4).
The opening pitch between Texas State and Appalachian State is scheduled to be thrown at 6 p.m. Friday, March. 15, at Bobcat Ballpark.
