Texas State Baseball splits double-header with Fighting Illini

By: Sarah Bergen

KTSW Reporter

SAN MARCOS, Texas —The Texas State baseball team split Sunday’s double header against the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, losing the weekend series 2-1 at Bobcat Ballpark. 

The day prior to the double-header (Feb. 22) on a day of nasty weather for baseball, Texas State was decisively defeated by the Fighting Illini 15-3 in their home park. 

In game one of the double header, the Bobcats won 5-2 with right-handed pitcher Sam Hall starting for the on the mound for Texas State. Throwing for five innings, Hall struck out two, gave up two runs on two hits and dealt four walks.  

Bryson Dudley got the win for the Bobcats, striking out four, keeping the game scoreless for four innings.  

“There’s no easy outs and so you got to find a way to go play really good baseball,” said Head Baseball coach Steven Trout. “If you’re ever going to, you know, get in Regional, win it and make your way to Omaha [College World Series], that’s the type of baseball you [have] to play.” 

Batting for the Bobcats, senior Austin Munguia hit 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and a solo home run, crushing it 390 feet over the left field wall. Austin Eaton also had a solo home run and Ryne Farber put a run on the board with an RBI single. Both Farber and Cameron Thompson recorded a stolen base.   

“There was great energy, you know. No look of a hangover or pouting from the night before,” Trout said. “It was more of just ‘hey, we got to go win’ and they were fired up to win [this] game and I saw the same thing in their eyes [during] the second game.” 

In game two of the double header, the Bobcats fell short losing 7-4. Texas State put up a fight with a high-level performance from Chase Mora. He recorded a double with 3 RBIs, also hitting 2-for-5 at the plate.  

In addition to Mora’s efforts at the plate, Ryne Farber went 2-for-5, scoring once and driving in a run. Cameron Thompson scored two runs for the Bobcats as well.  

Right hander Austin Eaton started for the Bobcats, striking out four batters in three innings but allowing three runs on three hits. Relief pitching showed up with a combined seven strikeouts and Ryan Lawton recorded two more to close out the game.  

The Fighting Illini struck first with two runs in the first inning. The Bobcats had a tough inning, as a reviewed play overturned a runner interference call at first. Thompson caught a pop-up while standing on the bag, getting ran into by baserunner Nick Groves. The ball was called dead, and Kyle Schupmann was awarded the single to extend the inning.  

Mora would tie the game in the third with a line drive down the middle, deflecting off second baseman Greg LaChance’s glove for a single, allowing Theo Kummer and Thompson to score.  

Illinois would retake the lead with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Thompson would get a walk eventually scoring on a single to right by Farber. 

Mora followed with an RBI double, resulting in Farber safely sliding home. Zachary Gingrich singled to put runners on base, but a strikeout ended the inning for the Bobcats leaving two stranded on first and third.  

A two-run homer over the center field wall by Jacob Schroeder in the top of the eighth were the final runs of the game for Illinois.  

“As I told the team you know, when we look back in May and or April, we’ll be better because this weekend one because Illinois is a good team,” Trout said. “We played some close games, but we’re learning our personnel and who to bring in the game, different things like that. So, we got to the point where we’re using guys in kind of different roles.” 

After this weekend series against the University of Illinois, the Bobcats post a record of 5-2 on the season. Texas State is set to travel to College Station to take on the No.1 team in the country, the Texas A&M Aggies.