Feb. 26, 2005

Box Score

LAFAYETTE, La.-Marist fell to Texas State 6-1 in 11 innings in Lafayette, La. on the second day of the Mardi Gras Baseball Classic.

Travis Musolf led Marist at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI.

For eight innings Saturday night, the Marist Red Foxes had Ty Harrington's Bobcats right where they wanted them. Marist jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, when a one-out Travis Musolf double plated Joe Sargent.

The Red Foxes put it in cruise control until the top of the ninth, when Bobcat pinch-hitter Jared Bunn came to the plate with no outs and runners at second and third. Bunn lifted a fly ball into right field, which was good enough to score Kyle Jones from third base on the sacrifice, knotting the score at 1-1.

Marist would see its opportunity in the home-half of the ninth, when the Red Foxes put runners at the corners after two Chris Hill strikeouts. Scott Moore came on in relief of Hill, and struck out the Marist batter, squashing any hope of a heroic Marist victory in the ninth.

Both the Bobcats and Red Foxes threatened in the 10th, with each team leaving a man on base but failing to score.

The Bobcat eleventh began with a Jose Rodriguez single up the middle. Rodriguez advanced to second on a Luke Cannon bunt and stole third with one out, followed by an Elliot Babcock one-out walk. With runners at the corners, Rodriguez beat the tag at home to give the `Cats a 2-1 lead on a Nolan Mast fielders' choice.

With Mast standing on first and Babcock at second, Dawid Bednarek slapped a pitch into right field to load the bases for Cassidy Dresch. Dresch drove a pitch into center field, plating Babcock from third and Mast from second, making the score 4-1.

The Dresch single moved Bednarek to second, with Kyle Anson coming to the plate. Anson again came up big for Texas State, doubling into right, scoring Bednarek from second and Dresch from first. The Red Foxes would close the inning on Jones' grounder to the pitcher, but the damage had been done with five runs and a 6-1 Texas State lead.

Moore stayed in for the eleventh and retired all three Marist hitters he faced, recording the victory and pushing his record to 2-0. Marist reliever Robert Ryan, the pitcher of record in the 11th inning, took the loss for the Red Foxes, who lost their second game of the Mardi Gras Classic. Ryan's record falls to 0-1 and Marist drops to 0-2 on the season.

Anson and Dresch each had two hits and two runs batted in for the Bobcats, while Bunn and Mast were responsible for driving home Texas States first two runs of the contest. Jones was also three-for-six at the plate with a run scored for Texas State. Texas State starter Bobby Sawicki again saw improvement, pitching six innings and striking out six, while giving up just one run. The win moves Texas State to 10-2 in 2005.

The Bobcats will be back in action Sunday in the tournament finale against Louisiana-Lafayette. First pitch between the Ragin' Cajuns and the Bobcats is set for 4:05 p.m., in Lafayette, La.

The Red Foxes will face Miami (OH) at 10:00 a.m. central time.