In a must-win series that could be the difference in making the conference tournament, the Texas State Bobcats opened the weekend with a dominant pitching performance that led to a 5-0 victory over the Marshall Thundering Herd (18-20, 5-7 SBC) Thursday evening at Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark.
Texas State (32-22, 14-14 SBC) wasted no time taking control against Marshall (23-29, 13-15 SBC), scoring two runs in the first inning before adding another in the second to build a quick 3-0 lead. The Bobcats later added insurance in the seventh inning and never allowed Marshall to mount a serious threat throughout the afternoon.
After inconsistent pitching performances had hurt the Bobcats at times this season, including an error-filled blowout loss this past Tuesday, the Bobcats delivered one of its cleanest all-around games of the year in the series opener. Senior pitcher Ryan Markwardt earned the win while pitching a quality start across six innings, striking out nine before handing things over to junior left-hander Jesus Tovar, who shut the door over the final three innings.
Texas State started the lone scoring affair with junior first basemen Jaquae Stewart and freshman catcher Clayton Namken swinging back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first. They extended the lead with an additional run in the following inning as sophomore shortstop Brady Boles sent one into left field for his first home run of the season.
The Bobcats would drive home another two runs in the seventh inning as freshman left fielder Blake Beheler drove home a run with an RBI single up the middle and Stewart drove home the fifth and final run of the game with a deep RBI double into right field.
Marshall had very few opportunities to score against Markwardt and Tovar, who allowed just two hits while striking out four and working around a pair of walks in his 47-pitch outing. Marshall’s best scoring opportunity came in the ninth inning after Cooper Hinson singled and Ethan Murdoch drew a walk to place two runners aboard, but Tovar responded by striking out Oliver Service swinging to end the game.
The Bobcats finished with 10 hits while holding the Thundering Herd to only four all afternoon.
Texas State was offensively consistent, applying pressure early in counts and throughout the game. Even when the Bobcats failed to capitalize on every opportunity, they forced Marshall’s pitching staff to work from behind almost immediately.
With the victory, the Bobcats opened the weekend series with a much-needed rebound and continued rebuilding confidence in their final SBC regular season series with a postseason berth and positioning on the line.
Texas State and the Thundering Herd continue the series tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark. The penultimate game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
