The woes of April continue to seep into May, especially for the Texas State Bobcats as the hopes for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament are more than likely gone as the South Alabama Jaguars completed a sweep this weekend at Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark.
Saturday: 6-4, USA
The Jaguars (29-18, 13-10 SBC) kept up their offensive production from the night before, racking up 12 hits against Texas State (27-20, 10-13 SBC) sophomore reliever-turned-starting pitcher Cade Smith, who only tossed 2 2/3 innings whilst giving up four earned runs on seven hits before the Bobcats shifted into another bullpen game, but the damage was already done by the time the calvary came in. After junior pitcher Ryland Bozenhard started the game and went just three innings, South Alabama utilized senior reliver Tyler Smith from the fourth inning on, shutting down the Bobcats offense.
For Texas State, while they put up a much-better fight compared to Friday night’s loss score wise, continued to allow mistakes to play an important factor into their losses, including committing three errors, of which two of them allowed South Alabama to score and was one of the main deciding factors in the final score.
Continuing their hot weekend with the bats, South Alabama got off to yet another hot start in the top of the first, scoring three runs off a one-out double and single, while also taking advantage of a fielding error from sophomore shortstop Dawson Park unable to hold onto the ball while trying to make a two-out play, tacking on an additional run in the process.
Texas State, however, returned the favor with a three-run inning of their own, as they took advantage of a throwing error on freshman catcher Clayton Namken’s single that scored two runs before an RBI single from junior centerfielder Bennett Fryman evened it all up at three-apiece.
In the following inning, the Jaguars re-took the lead off a throwing error from junior first basemen Jaquae Stewart. They added yet another run in the third as junior second basemen Brennon Wright delivered an RBI single. The following bottom inning had the Bobcats cut into the deficit once more, again from Namken as he launched a solo home run to make it a 5-4 South Alabama advantage.
Both squads had trouble getting on base from that inning on until the seventh as Smith held it down for the Jaguars, as well as junior leftfielder Rett Johnson’s RBI single adding a much-needed insurance run to extend their lead to 6-4. Smith kept the Bobcats at bay and as a result, Texas State suffered another crucial loss.
Sunday: 7-4, USA
A four-run lead slipped away for the Texas State Bobcats as pitching woes and lackluster offense led to seven unanswered runs in a 7-4 loss to South Alabama Sunday afternoon.
The Bobcats (27-21, 10-14) woes struck once again as the Jaguars (30-18, 14-10 SBC) swept Texas State for the first time in over a decade, as situational hitting came through big time while the bats for Texas State couldn’t generate runs after an excellent start.
“We’re in games, we’re just not making plays to win games,” Texas State head coach Steven Trout said. “They are not going to hand you anything… You got to fight like crazy.”
Senior pitcher Ryan Markwardt started on the mound for Texas State, recording five strikeouts while only allowing one hit, shutting out the Jaguars in a dominant three-inning performance. Markwardt was a rare bright spot for the Bobcat bullpen that featured six different pitchers on the mound with little success after the third inning.
Things got off to a promising start for Texas State at the bottom of the first, as senior right fielder Rashawn Galloway swung the first pitch he saw into a solo home run out of left field.
The Bobcats built upon this momentum after junior third baseman Justin Vossos, who has started the last three games in-place of senior Chase Mora, hit a two-run RBI single to extend the Texas State lead to 3-0.
Following a scoreless second and third inning from both sides, the Bobcats’ offense came alive once more as junior designated hitter Manny Salas delivered an RBI single that crept into center field.
After Salas’s RBI single, that ultimately was the final run of the game for Texas State as their bats went ice cold, getting shut out for five straight innings to close out the game. It was up to the pitching staff to keep South Alabama off the board.
Following four scoreless innings for the Jaguars, which included typical Sunday starter Jesus Tovar coming in to pitch after Markwardt, Wright broke the drought with an RBI fielder’s choice to start the run at the top of the fifth.
South Alabama kept the party going in the next inning as junior shortstop Marc Stephens launched a three-run home run into right field, tying the game at four apiece.
Things went from bad to worse for the Bobcats as junior center fielder Ethan Melton hit a two-RBI double to take a 6-4 lead over Texas State.
South Alabama secured an insurance run in the top of the ninth with another RBI single from Johnson, extending the lead to 7-4 for the Jaguars.
With one last chance to tie the game, the Bobcats had some life with a single, but could not get any more offense going, ending the game on a flyout.
The loss, which completed the series sweep for South Alabama and gave Texas State their fourth-straight weekend series loss, puts the Bobcats at risk of missing the Sun Belt postseason tournament with under two weeks to go as they fall for a four-way tie in 10th place as Texas State’s rough late-season stretch continues.
The Bobcats seek to return back into the win column as they prepare for their final mid-week home game of the season when they are set to play a 6 p.m. matchup on Tuesday, May 5 against the Baylor Bears against Baylor at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at Irvine-Rasmussen ballpark. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
