March 6, 2009
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The Purdue baseball team couldn't overcome numerous mental miscues in a 9-2 loss to Texas State in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. The loss dropped the Boilermakers to 2-5 for the year, while the Bobcats won for the fourth time in their last five games to improve to 7-3.
Purdue's two errors in the first inning, one on a failed pickoff attempt and the other on a soft liner to shallow right field, led to three Texas State runs to open the game.
The Bobcats then tacked on single run in the second and added two more in the third, aided by Purdue's third error in the game on a sacrifice bunt attempt, to jump out to a 6-0 advanatge.
Purdue finally broke through for a single run in the sixth on a two-out double by Brandon Haveman that plated Dan Black from first, and added anther run in the eighth on a run-scoring ground out by Black after Jonathan Lilly had tripled with one out.
The Bobcats answered each Purdue score, tallying a run in the home half of the sixth and adding two more in the eighth to win going away.
Texas State starter Zach Tritz (3-0) limited the Purdue offense to just two runs on six hits over eight innings. The right-hander struck out eight and walked one for his third win of the season.
Boilermaker starter Matt Morgan (0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing seven runs, only four of which were earned, on nine hits over six innings. Morgan struck out six and walked one in the loss.
Offensively the top three hitters in the Texas State batting order, Tyler Sibley, Bret Atwood and Paul Goldschmidt, teamed up to finish the contest 8 for 13 with five RBIs and five runs scored. Sibley hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left in the sixth.
For Purdue, senior Brandon Haveman paired hits in three trips to the plate. The left fielder drove in Black with the double in the sixth.
The Boilers and Bobcats will meet up for game two of the three-game series on Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Left-hander Matt Jansen (1-1) will take the mound as the starter for Purdue. The game will be an Internet only broadcast.