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PULLMAN, Wash. – Texas State used a clutch ninth inning to keep Washington State from the series sweep and improve to 10-5 on the season with a 5-3 victory. The Bobcats rebounded from the day's doubleheader opener, a 4-3 loss.
 
Colby Targun, who had a strong day throughout the doubleheader scored the go ahead run in the ninth inning after earning a leadoff walk. Tanner Hill sacrifice bunted him to second, and Granger Studdard followed with another walk to bring up Austin O'Neal in a pinch hitting role with one out in a 3-3 tied game.
 
O'Neal came through with a single in the left gap to score Targun. There was almost a play at the plate, but Targun beat it out. As he slid into home, he popped up with an emphatic safe signal. After that, Cody Perkins laid down a bunt for the squeeze play to score Studdard and increase the lead to 5-3.
 
Hunter Lemke and the Texas State defense shut down Washington State in the bottom of the ninth, 1-2-3, to earn the third victory of the year for the closer.
 
If the Bobcats hadn't won the finale, the Cougars would have swept Texas State with a win in the Friday opener, 8-6, and the top half of the Saturday doubleheader, 4-3.
 
Targun finished the day with a team-high three RBI on a 3-for-6 day with a triple and the go ahead run in the ninth inning. Top hitters Hill and Studdard joined Targun in propelling the Bobcats to victory, both finishing the day at .600 on 3-for-5 with five runs scored between the two. Matt Smith went 2-for-5 for a .400 day and might have had more if he didn't have to leave after a hit by pitch. Garrett Mattlage finished 3-for-9 for a .333 average.
 
The Bobcats only used five pitchers throughout Saturday's doubleheader and received good contributions from Taylor Black and Austen Williams. The two combined for 15 strikeouts, eight for Williams, and both pitched seven inning with Black finishing at 7.1.
 
Washington State scored first for the second game in a row in the front half of the doubleheader. The Cougars' Yale Rosen continued to be a thorn in the sides of the Bobcats. After a Nick Tanielu double, Rosen sent a hit straight up the middle to plate Tanielu for the early 1-0 Washington State lead in game one Saturday.
 
With two outs in the seventh, still trailing, 1-0, the Bobcats tied the game. Hill started Texas State off with a single through the right side and Studdard followed with a walk to bring up Targun. Targun obliged with a single to shallow centerfield to plate Hill from second and force a pitching change for the Cougars.
 
Washington State came right back with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Matt Mendenhall led off with a double and took third on a wild pitch. Luke Stratman hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Mendenhall and regain the lead for the Cougars, 2-1.mIn the bottom of the eighth, the Cougars added two more runs on a Nick Tanielu home run to push the score to 4-1 in favor of Washington State.
 
Texas State put up a fight in the top of the ninth, starting with a Tyler Pearson single. Hill walked after that and Studdard followed with an RBI single to left field to score Pearson and bring the Bobcats within two, 4-2. After that, Targun flirted with a home run sending a shot to deep right field, but it fell just short for a sacrifice fly to score Hill and pull the Bobcats within one, 4-3. Unfortunately, that would be all the Bobcats could get in the first game of the day.
 
The Bobcats looked as if they were out for blood early in the second game of the day with Matt Sanchez and Mattlage opening the first with back-to-back singles, but three consecutive strikeouts ended the opportunity for Texas State.
 
Hill and Studdard continued their strong days in the second game with consecutive singles to start the second inning. After advancing to second and third, Hill scored on a groundout from Smith. Sanchez followed with a hard hit single back at the pitcher that rolled into right field to score Studdard from second base for an early 2-0 Bobcat lead.
 
As was the case most of the weekend, Washington State answered the Bobcats's score in the bottom of the inning. No surprise it was Rosen again. He led off with an infield single and scored from third on a double from left fielder Ben Roberts to cut the Texas State lead in half, 2-1. Mendenhall followed with a single up the middle to score Roberts from second and tie the game, 2-2.
 
Rosen scored again in the bottom of the fourth. He led off the bottom of the inning with a double and scored on a single from Ian Sagdal to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead with five innings left to play, but Texas State tied it again in the sixth inning, Mattlage led with a single, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Then Targun did what he did most of the day: knock an RBI. He hit a big triple to left center to easily score Mattlage and tie the game, 3-3.
 
After that, the Bobcats put together their impressive ninth inning to secure the team's 10^th win of the year.
 
Since the Bobcats finished the series against Washington State with a doubleheader on Saturday, they won't be back in action until they host No. 10 Texas at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bobcat Ballpark.