The Bobcats feel like they’re getting back to their old ways.
Texas State’s early-season struggles continued during the first couple of days at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. The team fell to No. 9 Texas Tech on Friday, 8-4, then got run-ruled by No. 11 TCU in eight innings, 10-0.
But everything seemed to change in the maroon and gold’s last game at Minute Maid Park, defeating Rice on Sunday, 9-1. It was the widest margin of victory in any game this season for the Bobcats.
“That Rice game really helped us build some momentum,” junior third baseman Justin Thompson said. “And we knew what we were capable of, but it just takes a little while, sometimes, to get the bats rolling and defense and pitching and all that. And I think the Rice game kind of gave us the momentum that we needed to go into this week.”
Texas State rode the momentum Tuesday night, run-ruling the Horned Frogs in seven innings inside Bobcat Ballpark, 11-1.
“We just started buying in and telling ourselves like, the first 12 games wasn’t us,” senior second baseman Jaxon Williams said. “And we just need to get back to being the offense we know we can be.”
Senior left fielder Will Hollis set the tone immediately, leading off the bottom of the first inning. After Hollis fell behind 0-2 in the count, TCU’s fielders made a hard shift to the right, daring the left-handed batter to hit opposite field. Hollis declined, instead send the next pitch over the Horned Frogs’ heads for a solo home run to right centerfield.
Sophomore first baseman Jose Gonzalez and junior designated hitter Wesley Faison both swung for doubles later in the frame and stole home on a wild pitch to open up the game with a 3-0 lead.
Hollis singled for an RBI in the second inning, putting runners on the corners for Texas State. Thompson followed it up with another single to left field, scoring the runner on third. Gonzalez cleared the bases in the next at-bat with a triple that bounced of the centerfield wall, widening the gap to 7-0.
TCU (8-4) finally got on the board with a run in the top of the third but the Bobcats retaliated with sacrifice flies from Hollis and Gonzalez for two more scores. The visitors didn’t score again the rest of the game.
“I thought we just did a really good job of staying with our approach and just waiting for mistakes and getting after them,” head coach Steven Trout said. “And then we kept them off the bases for the most part and that was the key. You know, they do a good job in the running game and putting pressure on you and they can only do that if guys are out there.”
Thompson went yard in the fifth to make it 10-1. Sophomore right fielder Peyton Lewis connected on a double to left center in the seventh and Williams brought him across with a walk-off single, ending the game at 11-1.
“It felt great,” Williams said. “You know, finally, our offense started clicking and stuff, we were all in it together. And so, just to get that last one to run-rule them, it felt amazing.”
Gonzalez finished the night going 3-5 at the plate with three RBIs. All of his hits were for extra bases. Hollis added another trio of RBIs, swinging 2-4. Thompson went 3-4 with two RBIs. Senior right-handed pitcher Garrett Herrmann (1-0) was credited with his first win, allowing two walks, a hit and a run in 3.0 innings while striking out three. The Horned Frogs burned through five pitchers, each of which stayed on the mound for less than 2.0 innings.
Trout said the team had to get over the win pretty quickly, with a COVID-19 test at 7:30 Wednesday morning and practice at 2 in the afternoon. And Texas State will have to keep making up for the absence of junior outfielder John Wuthrich, who Trout doesn’t expect to be back from injury any time soon.
But Bobcats (8-4) are starting to look familiar and they’ll have a chance to prove it to themselves again this weekend with a three-game home series against Houston (7-4), beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
“After Friday, tough loss, Saturday, bad loss, and then you come back Sunday and score a lot of runs, you know, you kind of have that feel that we’re starting to click,” Trout said. “And then tonight shows up again and you’re like ‘OK, that’s two in a row. We’re starting to look like the Bobcats we were expecting.’ And so baseball is a funny sport, and so you’re gonna click at different times. We might not have been clicking early but when you go out there and throw strikes and play defense, you’re gonna have a chance to win every baseball game.”
