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Austin, Texas – An 11^th inning RBI single from Jason Bagoly propelled No. 24 Kent State past Texas State on Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in the first game of the Austin Regional. The Golden Flashes (44-15) defeated the Bobcats, 4-2, in 11 innings and will move on to play the winner of the Texas/Princeton game tomorrow night.

Playing in their first regional since 2009, the Bobcats will face a similar scenario as they did a weekend ago when they came back through the loser's bracket to capture the Southland Conference Tournament championship. Texas State will take on the loser of the Texas/Princeton game this evening tomorrow at 1 p.m. in an elimination game. The Bobcats will need to win that game in order to stay alive in the double-elimination Austin Regional.

In an even matchup from the opening pitch, the two teams played a 2-2 tie after nine innings before needing 11 innings to decide the winner. The Golden Flashes scored a pair of unearned runs in the 11^th to take a 4-2 lead which proved to be the final tally.

Carson Smith made his 15^th start of the season for Texas State and earned a no-decision after allowing two runs over nine innings. He struck out five and allowed just one walk. Jeff McVaney (1-2) came on to pitch the final two innings, striking out one while allowing a pair of unearned runs as he lost his second decision of the season.

Kent State closer Kyle McMillen (1-2) won his first game of the season for the Golden Flashes, pitching the final 2 1/3 innings without allowing a Bobcat hit.

Kent State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after a pair of singles brought home the first run of the Austin Regional.

The Bobcats threatened in the bottom of the second inning, loading the bases with one out, but the Golden Flashes were able to get out of the inning unscathed after a liner off the bat of Bret Atwood was gloved by Hallock and a grounder from Christian Gallegos found the glove of the Kent State third baseman for the final out of the inning.

Smith sat down six straight after the second inning. As part of that streak, Smith also set the single-season strikeout record for Texas State with his fourth strikeout of the day, giving him 128 for the season. He surpassed former Bobcat, Blake Williams, who had 127 strikeouts for Texas State in 2000.

The Bobcats evened the game up in the bottom of the sixth after an RBI single from Cory Falvey brought home Andrew Stumph, who singled earlier in the inning for his second hit of the game. The RBI was Falvey's 22^nd of the season.

Kent State came back to take the lead in the top of the seventh after the Golden Flashes manufactured a run to move in front 2-1. After loading the bases, Kent State got an infield single that hit off the pitcher's mound to bring home the go-ahead run.

One swing of the bat from McVaney nearly put the Bobcats in front in the bottom of the seventh as the Bobcat left fielder flew out to the wall in left-center field with a runner on second to keep the score at 2-1 in favor of Kent State.

However, the Bobcats would come back in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 2-2. Casey Kalenkosky led off the inning with his team-leading 16^th double of the season, and he moved to third on an effective groundout from Stumph. Kyle Kubitza then hit a sacrifice fly to left field that brought home Kalenkosky to even the game at 2-2.

The Bobcats put a runner in scoring position in both the 9^th and 10^th innings but could not come up with a hit that would propel them to their fourth walk-off win of the season.