April 25, 2008
Box Score
SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Lamar got timely hitting and belted a pair of home runs to claim a 5-4 win in 10 innings over Texas State at Bobcat Field to open a Southland Conference series Friday night.
Lamar (25-16, 13-6 SLC) won for the fifth time in the last six games, while handing Texas State (23-17, 13-6 SLC) just its second SLC home loss in 10 games. The Cardinals also played their third extra-inning contest in the last four overall - improving to 2-1.
Tim Erickson (5-1) earned the win after throwing three innings in relief of starter Brian Sisk who allowed three runs on four hits. After giving up a solo home run to Adam Witek in the fourth that put the Bobcats up 3-0, Sisk retired 11-consecutive batters before leaving after one man in the eighth. Erickson meanwhile, struck out three and walked one.
Steven Tucker went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Travis Dunson extended his hitting streak to eight games after leading off the second with a single.
David Moore got the Cardinals on the scoreboard in the fifth with an opposite-field home run that cut the Texas State lead to 3-1. It ended an 0-for-18 slump over the previous six games. It was also his team-leading fourth long ball of the season. Five other players have three homers each.
Tucker made it a 3-2 ball game in the sixth when his solo blast cleared the wall in left-center. The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead with two in the eight on RBI singles by Tyler Link and Tucker.
Texas State extended the game in the ninth when Erickson loaded the bases with a walk, single and hit batter. Spenser Dennis' single to left allowed Laurn Randell to score the tying run with just one away. But Erickson, who became Lamar's career saves leader on Tuesday, struck out Jason Martison and enduced a groundout by Thomas Field to end the threat.
In the LU half of the tenth, Logan Pace walked and advanced to third on a fielding error by Elliott Babcock in right field on a Link fly ball. Babcock went back near the warning track and turned the wrong way at the last instant and wasn't able to catch the ball cleanly, allowing Pace to reach third and Link access to second. Brian Taylor then hit a sac fly to center to drive-in Pace for the winning run.
Erickson then did what he does best in the bottom half as he got Babcock to fly out and then picked off Paul Goldschmidt at first base after a single through the right side. Following two more singles to put runners at first and second, he struck out Witek for the final out.
Josh Walter (3-2) was the losing pitcher after allowing the unearned run in the tenth in two innings of work.
Randell and Witek had two hits each for the Bobcats. Thomas Field went 0-for-3 and had his 19-game hitting streak halted.
The same two teams will be on the diamond at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
