A near-perfect start for Texas State baseball (4-1) quickly became a thing of the past as the Gonzaga Bulldogs (1-4) took control of the game before the Bobcats roared back in the late stages to claim an 8-6 come-from-behind victory Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark.
“I thought it was a really gutsy performance all the way around,” Texas State head coach Steven Trout said. “We were right in the middle of the battle, and our guys did a phenomenal job of stepping up.”
The Bobcats’ night began about as well as one could hope. Texas State starting pitcher Kyle Froelich tossed a seven-pitch first inning before senior catcher Rashawn Galloway hit a leadoff home run in the bottom half to quickly give the Bobcats a lead.
Texas State added one more in the game’s opening frame to take a 2-0 lead after one.
Gonzaga punched back in the fourth, finally getting Froelich to show a chink in his armor as the Bulldogs pushed five runs across. Prior to Gonzaga’s outburst, Froelich was on an eight-inning scoreless streak to begin the season.
The Bobcats chipped away at Gonzaga’s 5-2 lead in the fifth, as RBI singles from sophomore infielders Dawson Park and Brady Boles cut the deficit to one run.
Both teams’ bats went quiet for a couple of innings before Gonzaga tacked on a run in the top of the eighth to increase its advantage to 6-4.
Junior outfielder Sampson Pugh began the home half of the eighth by working a walk. A single off the bat of Galloway, followed by graduate catcher Austin Mungia being hit by a pitch, loaded the bases. Senior infielder Chase Mora nearly cleared the bases but settled for a two-RBI double off the wall to tie the game at six-all.
Shortly after, Park singled in the go-ahead run, and sophomore outfielder Zachary Gingrich drew a bases-loaded walk to give Texas State an 8-6 lead.
Freshman right hander Wade Cooper was called upon in the ninth to shut the door for the Bobcats, picking up his first save of the season.
Texas State got its first taste of future West Coast action with the win against Gonzaga, a team that will be joining the Bobcats in the new look Pac-12 at the start of the 2026 fiscal year.
The Bobcats will look to win back-to-back series to begin the season when they take the field for game 2 against Gonzaga. First pitch is slated for 2:35 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at Bobcat Ballpark.
