Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State used a hitting barrage, led by Austin O'Neal's 3-for-4, three RBI day, to move past Louisiana Tech, 9-5, Saturday and improve to 7-4 in conference play. Tyler Pearson and Cody Lovejoy added to O'Neal's three hits with two hits apiece and five other Bobcats tallied a knock for 12 total team hits.
 
Despite the offensive showing, the win did not come easy. Louisiana Tech was the first to score with a solo home run in the top of the second, but Texas State snagged the lead with two runs in the third. The Bulldogs went up again with two runs in the fifth and added another in the sixth, but Texas State put up a five-spot in the sixth inning. After another La Tech run in the seventh, O'Neal put the game out of reach with a two-run homer, his first of the season and team's fifth.
 
Texas State used four pitchers in the game with Austen Williams earning the win with two innings pitched, four hits, two runs, two walks and a strikeout. Donnie Hart was impressive in two innings of work, striking out three in six batters faced.
 
After Louisiana Tech's home run in the second, the Bobcats answered, starting with a Kevin Sah bunt for a single. Next he stole second and took third on a fly out. After a Morgan Mickan walk, Andrew Stumph came up to bat in a big situation with two out for the second day in a row, and, for the second day in a row, he came through.
 
He knocked an RBI single up the middle to score Sah. Texas State wasn't done in the inning, as O'Neal followed with a base knock to score Mickan for the 2-1 Texas State lead. The Bobcats kept the momentum with a 1-2-3 defensive inning in the top of the fourth.
 
The Bulldogs rebounded in the fifth with two runs, both coming on an error. Texas started the inning forcing a strikeout and a fly out, but La Tech countered with a single, a double and a walk to load the bases. The next batter, Kody Neel, sent a grounder to second base, but the defender couldn't handle it. Two unearned runs scored on the play to help the Bulldogs regain the lead, 3-2.
 
Louisiana Tech added a run in the sixth, but Texas State responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning. The big inning started with a walk for Stumph followed by a single from O'Neal. The Bulldogs walked two batters after that to load the bases and walk in a run, closing the deficit to just one run. Texas State regained the lead on the next at bat.
 
J.D. Stinnett knocked a double with a high pop up that landed safely along the right field line to score two runs. With the lead, Texas State kept the pressure on when Lovejoy sent one up the middle for two more runs to push the lead to 7-4.
 
After the Bulldogs closed the gap to two runs, 7-5, in the seventh, Garrett Mattlage led the bottom of the inning with a standup double. Next, Louisiana Tech third baseman Ryan Jones made a great catch on a Stumph liner, but Mattlage took third anyway on a wild pitch. It didn't matter as O'Neal continued his great day with his two-run round tripper for a 9-5 lead.
 
The rest of the way wasn't in doubt with Hart on the mound. Texas State will look for the series sweep against Louisiana Tech Sunday at 12 p.m. with Kyle Finnegan on the mound. Tuesday, the Bobcats welcome Baylor to Bobcat Ballpark for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.