Texas State baseball (21-28 overall, 9-9 Sun Belt) won its May 7-9 series 2-1 against the University of South Alabama Jaguars (26-17 overall, 12-6 Sun Belt).
This is the Bobcats’ third-straight series victory, a far cry from the six-game losing streak they sported earlier in the season.
The series began with the Jaguars first on the board, when senior outfielder Michael Sandle scored a solo home run at the top of the first. The Bobcats tied it 1-1 off an RBI single from junior infielder Justin Thompson out to left field.
Both teams went down in order in the second inning. The Jaguars grabbed the lead at the top of the third off a solo homer from junior outfielder Andrew Bates. They extended their lead to 3-1 via an RBI single off a bunt from junior infielder Cameron Tissue in the fourth.
The Bobcats had a chance to tie in the bottom of the fourth with two runners on base, but a fly-ball from senior infielder Jaxon Williams ended the inning. Both teams went down in order in the next three innings.
Texas State responded at the bottom of the eighth as junior outfielder Isaiah Ortega-Jones was walked with the bases loaded. Junior infielder Dalton Shuffield was walked at the next at-bat to tie the contest.
Senior infielder Cole Coffey stepped up to the plate and hit a sac-fly to bring home Thompson for a 4-3 lead. Graduate catcher Bryce Bonner came up with a sac-fly of his own to bring home Ortega-Jones.
Senior outfielder Chase Evans came up and hit an RBI triple to go up 6-3. The Bobcats scored five straight runs in five straight at-bats.
The Jaguars took the plate at the top of the ninth, but they went down in order.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Cameron Bush got his second win of the season, allowing only one hit, no earned runs and three strikeouts in two innings.
The second game was an offensive showcase for Texas State. In the bottom of the first, sophomore infielder/outfielder Jose Gonzalez hit an RBI single out to center field. Shuffield stepped up and hit an RBI double out to right field. Gonzalez scored off a grounder from Coffey. Evans hit an RBI double out to left-center to go up 4-0.
Despite the deficit, the Jaguars brought the score to 4-3 off an RBI double from junior outfielder Ethan Wilson and an RBI single from senior infielder Kaleb DeLaTorre.
At the bottom of the third, Gonzalez hit a solo homer out to center field. Shuffield scored on a wild pitch soon after. Sophomore catcher/utility Peyton Lewis hit an RBI single to grab a 7-3 lead.
Shuffield hammered a solo shot out to left field to extend the Bobcats’ lead 8-3 in the bottom of the fourth.
The scoring barrage continued in the bottom of the seventh, where the Bobcats scored five straight RBI singles in five straight at-bats to go up 13-3.
With the game all but over, the Jaguars scored a run off a wild pitch in the ninth inning, bringing the final score to 13-4.
In game three, Texas State took the lead, with senior outfielder Will Hollis hitting an RBI double down the right-field line. He scored later in the frame off a wild pitch to take a 2-0 lead.
The Jaguars got on the board at the top of the second off an RBI grounder from Tissue. They tied the contest 2-2 at the top of the third from an RBI single from Wilson.
Texas State grabbed the lead again off a sac-fly from Gonzalez in the bottom of the third. An RBI single from freshman infielder Cade Manning pushed the score to 4-2 in the fourth.
At the top of the fifth, the Jaguars tied the game off a fielding error. DeLaTorre went up to the plate soon after, hitting a three-run homer to go up 7-4.
They came back in the sixth with an RBI double from freshman utility Hunter Donaldson down the left-field line. Junior infielder Santi Montiel got an RBI off a bunt to push the lead to 9-4.
Down five, Texas State could only manage one hit for the remainder of the game. The Bobcats couldn’t complete the sweep but won the series 2-1.
Texas State will go on to play its final home series against Georgia State from May 14-16 at Bobcat Field. Games two and three will air on ESPN+.