Bobcats Hot Bats Continue 10-2 Win over Mavericks
TROY, Ala. - The hot bats of Texas State continued on day two of the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship at Riddle-Pace Field as the sixth-seeded Bobcats pelted seventh-seeded UT Arlington, 10-2, in Thursday's final game of the night.
Texas State's David Paiz was the hero once again as the senior first baseman went two-for-three with five RBI. Paiz had a triple, a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly in the Bobcats win.
Texas State (24-30-1) continues on in the winner's bracket as it will have Friday off before taking to the field on Saturday against the winner of the UT Arlington/UL Lafayette game scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Bobcat starter, senior Scott Grist, earned the win for Texas State and improved to 5-5 on the year. UTA's Joel Kuhnel took the loss for the Mavericks who fell to 24-30 on the year.
The Bobcats jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead scoring one run in the second and four in the third. Paiz's triple in the second scored Ben McElroy who was 3-for-3 on the night with two doubles. McElroy singled to lead-off the second before Paiz' triple.
In the third inning Texas State freshman Luke Sherley singled to right field and then later scored on junior Cory Geisler's sixth home run of the year. Later in the inning senior Cedric Vallieres doubled and would score on junior Tanner Hill's single to right field. One of McElroy's two doubles pushed Hill to third who would then score on Paiz's sacrifice.
UTA would pick up back-to-back runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Bobcat deficit to 5-2. UTA senior Eric Tate would pick up his 17th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly scoring junior Jackson Morris who reached on a fielder's choice in the inning. The Mavericks would add another run in the fifth on senior Travis Sibley's fourth home run.
Texas State would add three more runs in the seventh and another in the eighth to put the game away. Paiz hit his three-run shot in the seventh giving him 11 RBI in two games as the senior had six in Wednesday night's game. Vallieres doubled in the eighth scoring Geisler who hit his second double of the night prior to Vallieres' at-bat.
In two games the Bobcats have scored 17 runs on 21 hits, ten of which have been for extra bases.