Tuesday April 21, 2015 | The University Star | 5
SPORTS
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BASEBALL
BOBCATS BURNED IN 13-3 LOSS TO RAGIN’ CAJUNS By Quixem Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR @QUIXEM Wyatt Marks, Ragin’ Cajuns freshman pitcher, struck out 11 batters in Louisiana-Lafayette’s 13-3 win over the Texas State baseball team. Marks, making his second career start, outplayed Jeremy Hallonquist, junior pitcher, who allowed eight unearned runs in his four-inning stint. Hallonquist’s previous season-high in unearned runs was three. Marks pitched 5.1 innings to improve his season record to 4-0. Assistant Coach Jeremy Fikac started Hallonquist because his sinker does not typically induce home runs. However, the Ragin’ Cajuns hit four home runs, bringing Hallonquist’s season total to seven. Hallonquist, who earned his first loss of the season, allowed 11 runners to reach base out of 22 plate appearances. His earned run average dropped to 3.63, which is second on the team. “I thought we had the right guy on the mound, a heavy sinker guy,” Fikac said. “I thought we could keep them on the ground and keep them in the park. That didn’t happen for Jeremy today.” Home runs accounted for Louisiana-Lafayette’s first seven runs of the game. Kyle Clement, Ragin’ Cajuns
junior center fielder, began the matchup with a solo home run in the second plate appearance of the game. Stefan Trosclair, Ragin’ Cajuns junior second baseman, and Dylan Butler, senior right fielder, added home runs in the fourth inning. The game was in reach until the fifth inning, when Trosclair’s three-run home run gave the Ragin’ Cajuns a 7-0 lead. Fikac pulled Hallonquist from the game after Trosclair’s second home run. Colby Targun, senior designated hitter, and David Paiz, senior third baseman, drove in three runs for the Bobcats in the sixth inning. The home run was the first of Paiz’s collegiate career. By then, the damage was done. “A home run is a home run,” Fikac said. “You still have to work about the ball and drive it. I don’t care which way the wind is going. They did that more often than us.” Blake Whitter, senior pitcher, and Pasquale Mazzoccoli, junior pitcher, finished the shortened seven-inning game with a deficit. Whitter and Mazzoccoli combined for five unearned runs in three innings in relief. Fikac said the team did not keep the ball down in the strike zone, which allowed LouisianaLafayette to take advantage of the wind. “We didn’t pitch well enough
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Blake Whitter, senior pitcher, pitches April 19 against Louisiana-Lafayette at Bobcat Ballpark. today,” Fikac said. “We didn’t throw well enough defensively. We didn’t get enough hits.” Texas State’s loss comes in the team’s last home game until May 8. The Bobcats have nine consecutive road games before finishing the season with six straight home matchups. Texas State’s winning percentage is higher on the road than at home this season. Fikac said the nine-game road trip allows the
coaching staff to set the players’ schedule and eliminate exterior distractions. “We’ve played good baseball on the road,” Fikac said. “It’s allowed us to come together as a club and, really, it’s family time. It’s fun going to other people’s ballparks and them screaming and hollering at you and you overcoming that.” Texas State’s next game is April 21 against the Texas Longhorns,
who have lost 11 of their last 15 games. The Longhorns defeated the Bobcats 6-4 at Bobcat Ballpark in the previous meeting this season. C.J. Hinojosa, Longhorns junior infielder, erased Texas State’s two-run lead in the eighth inning with a three-run home run. “Our kids always get up to go to Austin to play the Longhorns,” Fikac said. “We’ll be competitive.”
BASEBALL
STORYLINES TO WATCH: TEXAS STATE VS. TEXAS By Quixem Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR @QUIXEM
For the next three weeks, the Texas State baseball team will play in front of opposing fans. The next home game is May 8 against Arkansas State. Assistant Coach Jeremy Fikac said the team is not fazed by the road trips because the Bobcats play better in other ballparks. The numbers support Fikac. Texas State is 10-12-1 at home and 8-8 on the road for the season. The team’s next road test is Tuesday night against Texas. The matchup will conclude a twogame home-and-home series.
JARED HUBER’S IMPROVEMENT
Fikac recruited Jared Huber, freshman catcher, because of his defensive ability behind the plate. Huber, 5 feet 8 inches tall, compensates for his size with a quick release on the base paths. The
freshman has caught 16 baserunners stealing out of 32 opportunities, a success rate higher than that of Tanner Hill, junior catcher. Hill has thrown out six baserunners in 49 attempts. Defense was never a question for Huber. Offense was. Until April 2, Huber did not get consistent playing time as a catcher. Fikac swapped him out with Hill as the freshman’s batting average dipped to .214 in March. Fikac changed his mind once Huber grasped the nuances of offense. In the past 11 games, Huber’s batting average has risen from .214 to a team-high .345. His 10-game hitting streak was snapped in Sunday’s 13-3 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Huber’s batting average during this 11-game stretch was .390. The sample size is limited, but Huber is more than 50 points ahead of Hill in on-base percentage. Now Huber is the everyday starting catcher, allowing Fikac to replace Ben McElroy, senior infielder, with Hill at first base.
Texas State benefits from Hill’s batting prowess while upgrading defensively. Fikac said part of Huber’s growth is in batting approach: trying to find open holes in the defense rather than driving for power. It works for Huber. It works for Texas State. The team’s production took off once Huber solidified his role, which is no coincidence.
MIDWEEK DECISION
Fikac has not confirmed a starting pitcher for Tuesday night against Texas. His decision is down to Cory Geisler, junior, and Montana Parsons, freshman. Neither option has been reliable in previous midweek matchups. Geisler allowed six unearned runs in the 10-8 loss to UTSA as a starter. Parsons gave up three unearned runs the week before in 1.2 innings. The defense did not do the duo any favors, but neither pitched well enough to overcome the errors. Parsons pitched seven innings
against Texas in the previous meeting, though he nearly allowed several home runs in the game. Fikac needs a reliable starter for Tuesday night. As of now, he does not have a clear-cut player to fill the role.
STUMBLING TEXAS
Texas is not the same team from a month ago. The Longhorns, then ranked No. 10 in the nation, spiraled into a seven-game losing streak following their victory over Texas State. A 4-11 record in the past 15 games has brought them down to 21-19 overall and 8-7 in the Big 12.
PREVIOUS MEETING
in their previous meeting at Bobcat Ballpark. C.J. Hinojosa, Longhorns junior infielder, erased the Bobcats’ lead with a three-run home run in the eighth inning.
TEAM HISTORY
With the win, the Longhorns are 41-9 all-time against the Bobcats. The winning streak is now 20 games.
WHAT’S NEXT
Texas State will play Troy, which is tied with the Bobcats for fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference with a 10-8 record. The threegame series begins Friday.
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