San Marcos - Texas State eliminated Sam Houston State from the 2011 Southland Conference baseball tournament by run-ruling the Bearkats 13-2 in seven innings Friday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.
Hopes of a fourth Southland tournament championship in the past five years by Sam Houston were ended by a No. 1-seeded Texas State team that totaled 15 hits. The Bobcats scored their first 11 runs in the opening four innings.
The contest was the final game for Mark Johnson as Bearkat head coach. The 44th coach to total more than 1,000 career victories, Johnson announced his retirement prior to the start of the season. The 26-year coaching veteran who served as head coach at Texas A&M and Sam Houston ends with 1,043 victories to his credit.
Things went south quickly for the Bearkats as Bobcat second baseman Tyler Sibley powered the third pitch of the contest over the left field fence for a lead-off home run.
Texas State (37-21) added four runs in both the second and third innings. Center fielder Bret Atwood and Sibley produced RBIs on a hit and a ground ball, respectively, in the second frame. The other two runs in the second scored thanks to a pair of infield errors and a wild pitch.
Sibley chalked up another pair of RBIs with a one-out single in the third. Designated hitter also produced a two-run single. The Bobcats added two more runs in the fourth inning on a hit by third baseman Kyle Kubitza and a ground ball to shortstop by right fielder Cory Falvy.
Sam Houston (35-25) scored its first run in the bottom of the second as first baseman Daniel Nottebart singled and later scored on a single by third baseman Kevin Miller.
In the bottom of the third, shortstop Braeden Riley singled, moved to second on a single by center field Mark Hudson and scored on a ground ball by left fielder Luke Plucheck.
First baseman Casey Kalensky put the finishing touches on the victory with a two-run homer to left field in the top of the seventh inning. Sibley led the Bobcats at the plate, going 3-for-5.
Colton Turner (9-2) was the winning pitcher for the Bobcats while Bearkat starter Brent Powers (5-4) took the loss. Michael Oros, Michael Burchett and Paul Spinn also saw action on the mound for the Bearkats.
Texas State moves on to face No. 8 seed Nicholls Friday night at 7 p.m. The Colonels sent the Bobcats into the loser's bracket with a 6-0 upset Wednesday. Texas State has bounced back with wins over No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana and No. 5 Sam Houston.
The Bearkats run-ruled Southeastern Louisiana 12-0 in the first round but saw their 13-game Southland tournament winning streak end in a 4-1 loss to Nicholls.
Sam Houston now stands 24-12 in Southland Conference tournament action. The Bearkats won the tournament title to advance to the NCAA regional in 1996, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Only once (1994) in their 10 tournament appearances have the Kats gone two losses and out.
Ranked third in the league in early May after a three-game sweep of Stephen F. Austin, the Southland's first place team at the time, Sam Houston struggled in the final weeks of the season, winning only two of their final nine games.
The season included several highlights including non-conference victories over Rice, Texas A&M, Baylor, Nebraska, Michigan and Tulane. Sam Houston will lose 13 seniors from the 2011 squad.
