The Texas State Bobcats (23-10, 8-4 SBC) notched a dominant 10-0 run-rule victory against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (18-16) on Wednesday evening at the newly named Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark in San Marcos.
Senior Ryan Markwardt, who made his second midweek start of the season, pitched a nearly flawless four innings and collected his first win of the year. Markwardt racked up six strikeouts, gave up only one hit, and walked a batter.
Relief pitcher Cameron O’Banan delivered two no-hit innings when his number was called. Fellow relief pitchers Braylen Timmins and Shane Connell put the game to bed as the Bobcat pitching staff put together a masterclass, striking out 12 lumberjacks and allowing one hit over seven innings.
The Bobcats wasted no time providing run support for their pitchers as shortstop Dawson Park singled to bring in the first run of the game. A batter later, second baseman Ethan Farris drove in an RBI with a single of his own.
Fast forward to the fourth inning, where the Lumberjacks applied the most pressure to the Bobcats.
Third baseman Chase Mora made a diving stop with a Lumberjack in scoring position to save runs from being put on the board, then in the bottom of the frame, he doubled before being brought in by catcher Austin Mungia. With two outs, leadoff hitter Jackson Cotton sent a laser out of the ballpark to push the Bobcats’ lead to five.
When the game concluded, the Bobcats had 10 runs on the board with 12 hits and five of them went for extra bases. Head coach Steven Trout praised his team for how they were able to stay locked in after the big win just a night ago against the Texas A&M Aggies.
“We had to show up today, championship teams show up no matter who they play,” Trout said. “I thought they did a great job; the execution was really high level.”
The Bobcats now look ahead to the weekend, where they will meet the Troy Trojans (16-17, 6-6 SBC) three consecutive days at Irvine Rasmussen Ballpark. First pitch between the conference rivals is set for 6 p.m. Friday, April 10.
