Big Bats Propel Bobcats Past UTSA

SAN MARCOS, Texas – In an offensive back-and-forth Tuesday night, Texas State prevailed over UTSA, 13-10. The Bobcats blasted four home runs, including two from freshman Ryan Newman, and struck 14 hits. Then Quinn Atwood, Chase Hodson and Pasquale Mazzoccoli shut down the Roadrunners in the final three innings to secure the win and improve the Bobcats to 19-10 on the season.

In addition to Newman’s two home runs, he added two singles, two walks, three RBIs and four runs on a 4-for-4 night. He was not retired in the game. He wasn’t the only Bobcat to show up in a big way though as Tanner Hill and Theodore Hoffman also sent out home runs and combined for seven more RBIs. Hill finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, two walks and two runs scored while Hoffman was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs. Hill entered Tuesday night’s game 10^th in the nation in home runs and pelted one more.

Luke Sherley joined the multiple-hit group on a 2-for-4 night while Cody Lovejoy,Jaylen Hubbard and Cory Geisler each added a hit on Texas State’s 14-hit night.

 
The offense started fast for both teams as the Bobcats scored nine runs in the first two innings while UTSA scored eight in the first three. From there, though, the Texas State defense settled in to only allow two runs in the final six innings and both of those came on a home run.

Jonathan Hennigan struck out three in the game but Atwood, Hodson and Mazzoccoli were able to clinch the game. Atwood earned the win with a strikeout and just one hit in an inning and a third while Hodson gave up one hit and struck out one in the eighth. In the ninth, Mazzoccoli retired three consecutive, capping the game with a strikeout en route to the senior’s seventh save of the season. He is now tied for the fifth most saves in a season by a Bobcat.

 
It was a tough start for the Bobcats as UTSA scored four runs on four hits and two errors in the top of the first inning. Three of the four runs were unearned for the Roadrunners as they grabbed an early lead.

 
Texas State, however, answered back in the bottom of the opening inning with two homers to tie it up, 4-4. After Newman drew a walk, Hill sent out his 10^thhomer of the year to cut UTSA’s lead in half, 4-2. Next, Hoffman knocked a solo home run, his fifth homer of the year, to pull the Bobcats within one, 4-3. Hubbard followed with a walk and Geisler doubled to left field. From third, Hubbard scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

 
The Roadrunners tried to show off their big bats in the second inning with a two-RBI home run to go up 6-4, but the Bobcats responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning for a 9-6 lead. After a walk for Jonathan Ortega, Newman jumpstarted the inning with a two-run homer, his fifth of the season to match Hoffman. Both Granger Studdard and Hill walked after that to set up Hoffman for more RBIs. He sent a big double to left centerfield to plate both runners and put the Bobcats up, 8-6. Hoffman proceeded from second base to third base to home on consecutive groundouts to push the lead up to 9-6.
 

In the third, UTSA used a hit and an error to put two Roadrunners on base, and brought them in with a Ryan Stacy single through the right side to close the Bobcat lead down to 9-8. Later, Newman added his second homer of the night, a solo shot, in the fifth inning. Then, UTSA answered with the sixth home run of the game between both teams. It scored two runs to tie the game, 10-10.

 
In the top of the seventh, UTSA tried desperately to break the tie with an attempt at an inside-the-park home run, but the Bobcats threw Ben Brookover out. Lovejoy rifled the ball in from right centerfield to Ortega who relayed it into Hill for the out to keep the game tied, 10-10.

 
After the defense retired UTSA in the top of the seventh inning, 1-2-3, the Bobcats took the lead. Newman led off the inning with his fourth hit of the night, a single through the right side, and Studdard followed with his 26^th walk of the season. Both runners advanced a bag due to an error on the pitcher, then Hill brought them both in with a single just over the shortstop for a 12-10 Texas State lead. In the eighth, Studdard plated Mickey Scott on a sacrifice fly to finish the scoring on the night.

 
Texas State continues a busy week with the second meeting of the season against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 6 p.m. Wednesday. After that, Nevada will travel to Bobcat Ballpark for a non-conference weekend series.