During three games where sophomore infielder Chase Mora was named the Astros Foundation College Classic’s Most Outstanding Player, the Bobcats showed out in H-Town, competing with powerhouses.
Aside form Mora, junior infielder Aaron Lugo and freshman outfielder Ryne Farber were named Players of the Tournament.
Texas State baseball (7-4) spent a weekend in Houston playing in the Astros Foundation College Classic. The Bobcats earned wins over #15 Texas (7-4) and Houston (6-4) but dropped their final game of the weekend to the defending national champion #2 Louisiana State University (11-1).
Unlike the previous weekend in Round Rock where the team lost two of three, the offense was the powerhouse of this weekend for the Bobcats as they scored 25 runs on 33 hits.
The “Slam Marcos” mantra was alive and well throughout the weekend. Texas State tallied five round-trippers to increase the team total to 18 on the season.
Late-inning heroics led the Bobcats to a victory in game one, as Mora sent one into the stands for a walk-off homer.
“I’ve been working all week and finally got dialed in,” Mora said. “I couldn’t be more honored to come out to my hometown and put on a show.”
Lugo kept the Bobcats’ antics going in game two against the Longhorns. Lugo calmly stepped up to the plate with the Bobcats down to their last out of the game while trailing one run.
He then hit a go-ahead two-run homer with a fully inflated bubble of gum in his mouth to give the Bobcats the ninth-inning lead.
This homer turned Minute Maid Park into a crowd full of Bobcat fans, with Texas State, LSU and Louisiana–Lafayette supporters all cheering for the Bobcats.
“It’s unbelievable,” Lugo said. “I don’t have the words to describe this moment, it’s just great.”
The Bobcats ran into a buzzsaw on day three of the tournament in the form of LSU. The Tigers were the deeper, better team on day three of the tournament. They gashed the Texas State pitching staff for 10 runs on 19 hits. The Bobcats scored five, but the Tigers’ offensive barrage was too much to overcome.
Though they fell to the defending champions, this weekend may be considered a success for Bobcat baseball as it took out two high-tier opponents. With these wins, Texas State proved its ability to compete and will look to continue doing so this season.
