After a great series against Long Beach State, Washington State Baseball strived to continue this streak against Texas State on March 5. The Cougs were stirring up a comeback, threatening late in the game with the go-ahead run coming up to the plate in the eighth inning, but could not plate the runs as they fell short 13-11.
The Bobcats poured it on heavily in the first few innings, scoring five in the second and four in the third with the help of a couple passed balls. But the Cougs started to get things going with senior middle infielder Gavin Roy hitting a double to score the Cougs’ first run of the game in the top of the third.
WSU then continued putting runs on the board with a two-run home run in the top of the fourth by senior first baseman Ryan Skjonsby. Following into the fifth inning, three Cougs hit home runs consisting of two solo homers from freshman catcher Alexandre Giguere and senior outfielder Max Hartman, along with freshman outfielder Trevor Smith putting two on the board with a home run of his own.
Texas put up a few more runs of their own from a couple of singles and a solo shot, extending their lead 13-7 heading into the top of the eight. But the Cougs started to fight back as they put together a late rally to close the gap.
Freshman infielder Dane Chavez ripped a double down the left-field line with the bases loaded, scoring two more runs. The Cougs caught a break as they scored another run from a passed ball, moving Chavez to third and freshman Brock Cross made his way across home plate.
Roy got his third hit of the game with a single up the middle, scoring Chavez and securing his second RBI of the game, bringing the Cougs within two of the Bobcats. With Roy on second and Smith on first after walking, Wazzu had the chance to take the lead and complete this incredible comeback after being down by eight runs early in the game. Unfortunately, the Cougs stranded two runners on base with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
WSU managed to hold Texas State to zero runs in the bottom of the eighth, keeping the game close in the ninth inning for another opportunity to tie up the game. But, a new pitcher came into the game and sat down the next three batters, ending this high scoring game with the Cougs losing 13-11.
The offense had a strong showing with a season-high of four home runs and 14 hits, which included a three-hit game from both Smith and Roy. The Cougs put up a good fight against the Bobcats and now hope to bounce back to win the series.
