King superb but Bobcats rally for 4-3 win over Cowboys

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Starting pitcher Brian King threw a gem through seven innings, Shane Selman blasted his fourth home run in six games, but McNeese couldn’t withstand a three-run, eighth inning rally by Texas State as the Bobcats squeaked by with a 4-3 win on Saturday to take the series.

McNeese (0-6) will look to take the series finale, which carries a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, as true freshman Adam Goree will get the start but will be on a pitch count.

The Cowboys led 2-0 after six-and-a-half innings as King was superb throughout his mound stint. He gave up just three hits, struck out four, and walked one. One of the hits was a solo home run by Texas State left fielder Dylan Paul to pull the Bobcats to within one at 2-1 after seven innings.

Selman got the run back with a one-out, solo home run in the top of the eight, his fourth of the season, to make it 3-1.

But in the bottom of the inning, Texas State (3-3) jumped on reliever Grant Anderson with three hits and two walks to lead to three runs and take a 4-3 lead.

“That was a tough one,” said head coach Justin Hill. “Bryan King threw the ball really good today. We played really good defense behind him and (Jacob) Stracner got the big hit to put us in front.”

Stracner led McNeese with two of its seven hits on the day while his third inning, three-run triple into left-center field territory, scored Carson Maxwell and Peyton Johnson, both who reached via a walk and hit-by-pitch respectively.

In the fourth, Joe Provenzano led off the inning with a double to right field and advanced to third after Maxwell and Johnson reached the same way they did in the third inning, to load the bases. But the three runners would be stranded after Reid Bourque grounded out to second base.

Meanwhile King was cruising as he sat down the side in both the fourth and fifth innings then battled in the sixth after giving up a lead-off single to Jacob Almendarez. King would get some help on the defensive end after catcher Brett Whelton threw out Almendarez attempting to steal second and ending the inning.

After McNeese went down in order in the seventh and Texas State got on the board with a run in the bottom of the frame to make it 2-1, Jake Cochran led off the eighth with a hit down the left field line but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. Mitchell Rogers later hit a one-out single and Hunter Racca, who entered to pinch run, would be left stranded at second base.

Hill made the move to the bullpen in the bottom of the inning to bring in Anderson who completed a perfect 8-0 season last year and one of the most dominating pitchers to come out of the bullpen.

Things started on the right track as he fanned lead off batter Coley Coffey. Then he walked Jared Huber followed by singles by Almendarez and Derek Scheible to load the bases.

Jonathan Ortega’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Huber to make it a 3-2 game but also gave the Bobcats their second out. Then the game was tied on a wild pitch that scored Almendarez and Jaylen Hubbard knocked a double down the left field line to score Scheible and put Texsas State up 4-3.

“I’d hand the ball to Grant in that situation the next 10 out of 10 times,” said Hill. “Sometimes the other team just gets you. He is a warrior. He will be back in there tomorrow if we need him.”

Johnson, who was making his collegiate debut for the Cowboys, picked up his first college hit with a one-out single in the ninth. Bourque followed with a walk and Welles Cooley entered to run for Johnson. The two stole second and third on a Stracner out but were left stranded as Cochran grounded out to first base to end the game.

“I know what the record is,” said Hill, “and we aren’t going to hide from it. We have to play at the level we did today on a more consistent basis. This team is going to be fine. We just have to weather the storm right now. Once we break the ice, you’ll see the guys loosen up.

“This one hurt, but tomorrow is a new day.”