Stephen F. Austin
Texas State
SFA Drops Season Opener In Extra Innings
2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2008
EDINBURG, Texas - The SFA baseball team scored six runs in the eighth and ninth innings to get into position to claim a season-opening win on Friday, but the bullpen could not hold the lead as Texas State rallied to take an 8-7 win in 10 innings in the first game of the Al Ogletree Classic.
SFA trailed 5-1 entering the eighth inning, but that is when the `Jacks went to work offensively. After Matt Whatley flied out to open the frame, Noel Trevino singled to right to begin the rally. The bases would quickly load after Kevin Croft made it on via error and Adam Bosley drew a walk. Junior transfer would then make his Lumberjack debut a memorable one as he was inserted as a pinch hitter and delivered immediately with a bases-clearing double that would pull the `Jacks to within one at 5-4; however, the Bobcats would buckle down to get the final two outs and leave Meyers stranded on second after a strikeout by shortstop Jeff Brewer.
Freshman Alex Moshier came in and pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth to keep SFA within striking distance, and in the top of the ninth the `Jacks would take advantage. Kevin Crabtree was hit by a pitch with one out, setting the stage for senior Whatley who gave SFA the lead at 6-5 with his first home run in an SFA uniform. Trevino followed him with what seemed to be an important insurance run as he hit the back end of back-to-back home runs to quickly stretch the lead to 7-5 going into the ninth.
Closer Richard Folmer would then enter, but struggled to find the strike zone. Folmer walked the first two batters of the inning, before eventually getting the Bobcats into a second-and-third situation with two outs and a chance to give the `Jacks the win; however, Ben Theriot came through with a two-out single into right field to score both runners and send the game into extra sessions.
SFA went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th, and Texas State wasted no time putting a threat together in their half of the inning after Elliot Babcock singled to start things off. A sacrifice bunt put Babcock in scoring position with one out and he would advance to third after an intentional walk and a fielder's choice. Laurn Randall would then play the roll of hero, singling to right and plating Babcock to finish things off.
Watson used seven Lumberjack pitchers on the day, with preseason all-conference selection Erich Lehmann getting the starting nod. Lehmann logged four innings with four strikeouts, giving up only two earned runs before giving way to Erik Gregersen in the fifth. Gregersen picked up four strikeouts of his own in only two innings of work.
Trevino, Croft and Bosley all picked up a pair of hits on the afternoon with five of SFA's 11 hits on the day going for extra bases.
The `Jacks continue the Al Ogletree Classic on Saturday with an 8:30 first pitch against UT-Pan American before finishing up the tournament on Sunday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
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