Junior infielder Aaron Lugo collected three hits, including a two-run home run, as Texas State baseball (23-24, 9-13 Sun Belt Conference) defeated Old Dominion University (24-20, 11-11 Sun Belt Conference) 14-4 in mercy rule fashion Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
The victory for Texas State moves them within one game of 10th place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, with the top 10 teams qualifying for the conference tournament.
“It was a really good night for us,” Texas State Head Coach Steven Trout said. “I thought offensively we were locked in from the get-go.”
Lugo’s home run capped off a seven-run second inning, giving the Bobcats a 7-1 lead. The first five runs of the inning came on RBI singles from sophomore catcher Rashawn Galloway and senior outfielder Kameron Weil, a wild pitch allowing sophomore third baseman Chase Mora to score, and a two-run bloop double from freshman designated hitter Ryne Farber.
Old Dominion’s four runs came on a solo home run from freshman outfielder T.J. Aiken, a wild pitch allowing junior infielder Kyle Edwards to score, and a two-run home run from junior infielder Maverick Stallings.
The Bobcats aided their seven-run second inning with a run in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and five in the sixth.
“We’ve been working really hard the past couple of weeks to hit the top of the baseball, to hit it to the middle of the field, and to really simplify our approach,” Trout said.
Senior pitcher Austin Eaton earned the victory, allowing four runs in four innings. Redshirt senior pitcher Cameron Bush and graduate student pitcher Dalton Buckingham combined for three scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Old Dominion used six pitchers on the night, with senior pitcher Jay
Cassady starting and suffering the loss on the mound. Cassady allowed six earned runs in 1 ⅔ innings.
Texas State and Old Dominion conclude the series on Saturday with a doubleheader.
The opening pitch in game two between the Bobcats and the Monarchs is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
