Regular Season Champion Texas State Will Play for Southland Tournament Championship
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas ? Texas State, the Southland Conference regular season champion, secured its spot in the championship game of the conference tournament by beating Lamar, 13-2, Friday at Whataburger Field. The Bobcats will face Sam Houston State, which has won the last two Southland tournament championships Saturday at 6 p.m. in a game that will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network.
Texas State (40-14) stormed to a 7-0 lead thanks to a six-inning second inning that gave Bobcat starting pitcher Zach Tritz the cushion he needed. He lasted 6 1/3 innings and did not allow a walk opposite five strikeouts. He allowed two runs off nine hits in winning for the eighth time this season (8-2).
The Bobcats, which are looking for their first Southland Tournament championship since the 2000 season, totaled 15 hits in the game, led by center fielder Bret Atwood, who finished the game with three hits, including a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth that landed in the pool beyond the fence in right-center field. His first home run of the season gave the Bobcats the eight-inning, run-rule victory.
Four other Texas State players finished the game with multiple hits, including right fielder Tyler Sibley, left fielder Spenser Dennis, shortstop Jason Martinson and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who also drove in three runs. Sibley scored three times. The top five spots in the batting order accounted for 10 hits.
Lamar, the No. 4 seed in this week’s tournament, ends its season with a 38-22 record. Cardinals’ starting pitcher Spencer Cuniff did not retire any of his first three batters and was chased from the game, yet took the loss. Lamar used six pitchers in the game.
Cardinals’ third baseman Chris Dunkin was 3-for-3 and Tyler Link was 2-for-4 and drove in both Lamar runs. His team had 10 hits, but three errors proved costly.
Texas State and Sam Houston each have won the Southland Conference Tournament three times to lead the league. The Bearkats are trying to become the first team to win three consecutive Southland tournament championships since Trinity won the first three from 1964-66.
The winner of the Southland tournament championship game will secure the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, which begins May 29 at 16 regional sites. Selections for the tournament will be announced on ESPN Monday at 11:30 a.m., CDT.
The championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament, which will be televised by Southland TV, will also be streamed by SLC NOW at www.southland.org. Live stats are also available at that web site.
Texas State Head Coach Ty Harrington
“We felt that if we could get something offensively early we could put the momentum in our dugout. We certainly did that, two factors in that were our offense and pitching. I thought Zach Tritz put on a brilliant senior performance, putting up zeroes early in the game. In the first inning, Ben made an unbelievable play on a ball in the dirt that stole some of the momentum away from Lamar. We did a great job in the second inning of scoring some runs and stringing some hits together to take advantage of opportunities. Even after we scored, it was important for Zach to keep putting zeroes up and he was able to do that.”
“Bret Atwood put a big swing on a ball to end the game for us. Outside of the fact that Bret hit his first home run of the season, the importance of that is that we didn’t have to use another pitcher. We are in tomorrow’s game now with some guys that we think will give us a chance to win.”
On Ben Theriot’s throw in the first inning to retire Anthony Moore at third base on would-be wild pitch
“An average catcher doesn’t make that throw and an above average catcher makes that play. That is what Ben is and that is certainly what he did. It put the momentum in our dugout.”
“They have done such an incredible job of taking each moment and each game as it comes. I found myself over the past week or two drifting outside the moment and I had to remind myself that I ask these guys to do it so it is important that I do it. They responded well to it and they believe in it. What you see is exactly what they do, they put their energy into that moment and don’t look past that.”
“Tentatively, we will start (Garret) Carruth tomorrow. We have guys in the bullpen that are ready, so hopefully they will perform tomorrow.”
On Sam Houston State and head coach Mark Johnson
“They feel very comfortable in this setting because they have won the tournament the past two years. I think Coach Johnson is one of the classiest men I have ever met in my life outside of being a tremendous baseball coach. What we have to do tomorrow is go out there and play another very good offensive baseball team as well. They had a five-run, two-out rally earlier in the year that they used to win the series against us at our place. I think we’re a better team today than we were then, but we are in a one-game deal where it is winner-take-all. I think they are great, they haven’t lost a game in the tournament either and they play well defensively. It should be fun.”
Texas State Pitcher Zach Tritz
“It felt really good. I missed a start last weekend so I had a lot of rest and my arm felt really good. I was just glad to put up those zeroes, especially when we scored those runs early. It gave me confidence and changed my way of pitching. I started to go after people and it made it a lot easier to throw strikes when we have that big of a lead.”
Texas State Outfielder Bret Atwood
On hitting the game-ending home run into the swimming pool in right field
“I was just wondering where it was after I hit it. We talked about it before the game in practice because we haven’t seen anybody hit one over the fence to right field.”
Texas State Catcher Ben Theriot
On throwing a runner out at third base in the first inning
“The ball hit off of me and went kind of far away and I saw that he got a late jump on it. Usually when the ball gets that far away, I don’t throw it. I saw that I had a chance with it if I made a good throw and that is what I did to get him.”