AUSTIN – Texas State didn't go down without a fight Sunday afternoon against Texas in an elimination game of the NCAA Baseball Austin Regional.
While the Bobcats lost, 4-3, they countered everything the Longhorns threw their way.
Crowd making too much noise? Texas State briefly silenced the Burnt Orange Army with a two-run home run by Kyle Kubitza in the top of the fourth inning.
Kubitza crushed a 2-0 change-up from Texas starting pitcher Cole Green over the right-field fence for his 10th home run of the season. It scored Bret Atwood, who hit a lead-off single.
“When we played them earlier this year, they wouldn't give me a fastball to hit when I was up in the count, so I was looking for something off-speed middle-in,” Kubitza said. “He left his change-up up a little bit and I got a hold of it.”
When the Longhorns (44-16) countered with a run in the fifth and then two in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead, the Bobcats stayed the course. Even though runs weren't going to be easy to come by against Green after he zoned in – faced one more than the minimum in his next four innings, striking out five – Texas State (41-22) waited.
It just so happened that the Bobcats tied it up against a recent nemesis, Texas closer Corey Knebel. In Texas State's two previous games with the Longhorns, Knebel struck out the side both times, earning two saves.
Maybe the Bobcats needed to go down in order twice to figure him out, because they tied it up in the ninth. Atwood singled, stole a career record 49th base, advanced to third on a throwing error by Texas catcher Jacob Felts, then scored on Kubitza's sacrifice fly.
Just like that, Texas State dealt a blow to the mighty Longhorns and for the second time; the momentum was on the Bobcats' side.
“Having the momentum in this ballpark is huge,” Texas State catcher Andrew Stumph, who collected a team-high four hits in the regional, said. “Once you know you have that momentum, you ride that the whole game, try to keep it up until the end of the game.”
The Bobcats, however, couldn't swing into the lead and yet again, suffered another heartbreaking loss to Texas.
Following a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Loy that moved Mark Payton, who singled, to second, Texas State head coach Ty Harrington chose to intentionally walk Erich Weiss to set up the double play. Harrington then brought in junior pitcher Carson Smith, who threw 124 pitches two days earlier, in hopes of getting to the tenth.
It never happened.
Smith walked Paul Montalbano on five pitches and Kevin Lusson singled to deep right on a 2-1 count.
“I was told, that if we had the lead, I was going to get the last three outs of the game,” Smith said. “We lost the lead, but got the run back in the ninth and Coach Harrington said, 'Carson, if we get a guy on, go get ready.'
“I felt good in the 'pen, got the call with two men on and went in. I was a little tired, but it was nothing I hadn't thrown through before. I was just missing by two inches every time.”
And with that, the Bobcats' knockout punch missed, leaving them open for the counter.
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