San Marcos, Texas – Texas State scored two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to break a 1-1 tie, picking up a 5-1 win over ULM on Friday night at Bobcat Park.
The late-inning push by the Bobcats (13-9 overall, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) negated a strong effort from Warhawk starting pitcher Trey Jeans, who became just the second ULM starting pitcher to work into the seventh inning this season.
Texas State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a RBI double by Will Hollis to score Jaxon Williams. ULM (7-14, 0-4) answered in the third inning on a solo home run by Joey Jordan off the scoreboard in right field.
Both starting pitchers settled in after giving up their respective runs. Jeans scattered four hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs while striking out four Bobcats in suffering the loss. Nick Fraze walked the Colin Gordon and Carson Klepzig following Jordan's blast, but then retired the next 15 Warhawks before Jordan's lead-off single in the eighth inning chased him from the game. Fraze picked up the win while throwing 7 innings with a run on three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
"I thought it was two heavyweights going at it," ULM head coach Michael Federico said. "Jeans did an outstanding job. He got off to a shaky start a little bit there at the beginning, giving up the one run, but overcame some of those walks he had, and actually pitched really well, made some quality pitches. I thought we played some really solid defense behind him, in some particular plays to help him with some of those fly balls that were hit pretty hard. He pounded the strike zone. He got us deep."
The game got away from the Warhawks in the seventh inning. After Jeans induced a fly-ball out by Ryan Newman to open the inning, he walked Jacob Almendarez before Federico turned to the bullpen. Landon Longsworth gave up three straight singles, the last two RBI singles by Dalton Shuffield and Williams to give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead.
The Warhawks had a chance to answer in the top of the eighth inning. Joey Jordan and Colin Gordon hit back-to-back singles to open the frame, but a missed sign resulted in Jordan being thrown out going to third base, and pinch-hitter Brendan Jordan grounded into an inning ending double play to close the threat.
"We did get a little bit of offensive production from the bottom," Federico said. "We get two guys on and pinch hit Brendan Jordan, and we miss a sign that basically, kind of cost us the game a little bit right there. Even if we could get one or two, get a little momentum, maybe get another pitcher in the game. That's the things we have got to overcome. That's a coaching thing. I take full responsibility for that. There's no excuse for it. We've got to be better in those situations, especially when the games are on the line."
The Bobcats added two more runs in the eighth when a single, an error on pitcher Richard Hebert and a walk set up a sacrifice fly by Newman and an RBI single from Almendarez for the 5-1 lead.
"It goes back to the sixth, seventh and eighth inning where we've got to get better," Federico said. "Had our chances. It's basically a 1 to 1 game, zero to zero, however you want to look at it, and then give up the two in the seventh and two in the eighth, and it started with a walk in the seventh."
The Warhawks were limited to five hits in the loss, with Joey Jordan collecting two of them.
"We hit some balls hard," Federico said. "Humeniuk hits a ball deep to right center and their right fielder makes an unbelievable play. Their first baseman makes three really solid defensive plays. We hit balls hard. But that's part of the game as well. Unfortunately, I feel like we're snake bit a little bit sometimes with how many balls we hit hard and don't get any productivity out of it."
The Warhawks and Bobcats continue the series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 2:30 p.m. at Bobcat Park. Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.
