With their backs against the wall down 3-0 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Texas State Bobcats stepped to the challenge and rallied to a 4-3 quarterfinal matchup victory in the Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Thursday night at Dabos Park in Montgomery, Ala.
The Bobcats offense looked stymied against Ragin’ Cajun junior Ty Roman, who tossed a quality start across six 1/3 innings while relinquishing just one hit and striking out eight. However, combined with strong pitching to keep red-hot Louisiana-Lafayette at bay and a late push in the ninth propelled Texas State to a much-needed victory for not just in the SBC Tournament but also for hopes of reaching an NCAA Regional.
It was a pitching duel between Roman and Bobcats senior Ryan Markwardt, who went toe-to-toe across 4 2/3 innings but a high pitch count in the early innings kept him from going much further. Beyond the lone run that was scored in the third inning off a sacrifice bunt, both offenses had little action on the base paths for the most part.
Texas State’s bats struggled for a majority of the game. Despite placing a few baserunners through walks and hit-by-pitches, they did not get their first hit of the ballgame until the seventh inning when freshman catcher Clayton Namken blooped a hit into right field but after being caught in a run down between second and third, the pressure on the Bobcats kept building.
Louisiana-Lafayette extended their lead in the following innings after a lead-off home run in the eighth from senior first basemen Lee Amedee. In the bottom of the eighth, while Texas State didn’t score, they kept building up momentum for the ninth and potentially final inning.
A fielder’s choice allowed a runner from third to score in the top of the ninth, building their lead to 3-0 as the game entered the ninth with the Bobcats having three outs to go.
Texas State started off with consecutive base hits from junior Jaquae Stewart and Namken’s double that gave the Bobcats runners in scoring position. The Cajuns kept digging into their bullpen, going freshman-to-freshman with Sawyer Pruitt replacing Hayden Pearson.
After junior second basemen Justin Vossos walked to get the bases loaded, senior third baseman Chase Mora struck out in three pitches, putting the Bobcats at just one out away from a loss. Freshman Jackson Cotton pinched hit in place of sophomore shortstop Brady Boles, who smacked an infield single towards second base hard enough to make sophomore second basemen Owen Galt fall down and allow every runner to reach base safely.
In the following at-bats, freshman left fielder Blake Beheler forced a full-count walk that brought Texas State to within a run and the winning run being represented at second base. Sophomore Parker Smith came in to try and secure the final out against senior right fielder Rashawn Galloway.
However, on the first pitch, Galloway got his first hit of the night by sneaking right by the shortstop, as runners on second and third ran home to score the tying and winning run and send the Bobcats to the SBC Semifinals, staving off their first loss in the tournament.
Texas State’s fourth win of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette gives them not just a major push to potentially secure a spot in the SBC Championship Game, but also gives them another marquee win against one of the hottest teams in the country while raising their RPI to 37, helping their chances at reclaiming an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bobcats will have a day off Friday to rest and prepare as the loser’s bracket will shape up the remaining match-ups. They will face one of second-seeded Coastal Carolina or rematch against the Ragin’ Cajuns once more at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 23 at Dabos Park in Montgomery, Ala. If one of the aforementioned teams above beat Texas State in the 9 a.m. game, they will play a second game later that day.
The games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
