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Natchitoches, La. – The Texas State baseball team was roughly 10 feet from overcoming a season-high five errors on Thursday night as the Bobcats were dealt a 7-4 loss against Northwestern State at Brown-Stroud Field in Natchitoches, La.

Trailing 7-2 entering the top of the ninth, the Bobcats strung together a series of hits that plated a pair of runs to bring their deficit to 7-4. Texas State then put runners on the corners with two outs and brought the Southland Conference leader in home runs, Casey Kalenkosky, to the plate as the tying run. After working the count to 2-2, Kalenkosky lifted a long drive to straightaway center field that reached the warning track before falling into a Demon glove for the game's final out.

The Bobcats suffered their sixth loss in Southland Conference play to drop to 13-6 in the league and 23-14 overall. For Northwestern State, the Demons improved to 15-24 overall and 5-14 in the SLC.

Of Northwestern State's seven runs, just three were earned after five Texas State errors led to four unearned runs.

Carson Smith suffered the loss on Thursday night after pitching seven innings. He allowed seven runs (three earned) but struck out nine batters and allowed just two walks. Smith dropped to 5-3 this season.

Luke Irvine improved to 4-5 overall for Northwestern State after striking out six over six innings on the mound. He allowed two runs, both earned, six hits and three walks. Dustin Northcott came in to record his fourth save of the season after getting the final out of the game.

Isaac Nuti put the Bobcats on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning when he doubled down the left field line to bring home Andrew Stumph, who took a one-out walk earlier in the frame. Bret Atwood followed with an RBI groundout that plated Cody Gambill, who also took a walk earlier in the inning, for a 2-0 Texas State advantage.

But the home team would come back in the bottom of the third inning thanks in part to some untimely errors by the Bobcats. Northwestern State recorded three hits in the inning but benefitted greatly from a pair of Texas State errors as the Demons scored four runs for a 4-2 lead.

After the Demons added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, Texas State threatened in the top half of the sixth inning, putting runners on the corners with one out. But Irvine was able to get out of the inning with a strikeout and a fly out to keep the Bobcats' deficit at four runs, 6-2.

Northwestern State added another run in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 7-2 before the team's comeback attempt in the top of the ninth fell just short.