Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. – Texas State and UL Lafayette came out with bats blazing in the first three innings of Thursday's baseball game between the two unbeaten teams on their side of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship Tournament bracket. Both teams went blow for blow early, but top seeded UL Lafayette outlasted the Bobcats, 11-4, to advance to the Saturday semifinal game. The Bobcats will play for their season in an elimination game against eighth seed UL Monroe at 3 p.m. Friday.
 
Texas State jumped on Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Carson Baranik. He only lasted 2.1 innings in which the Bobcats pummeled him for seven hits, four runs and a walk before ULL made the change. Both teams combined to pitch nine pitchers in the game.
 
Leading the way for the Bobcats were Garrett Mattlage, Cory Geisler and Austin O'Neal. Mattlage knocked his fifth home run of the season, a three-run bomb in the third inning to put Texas State up. It was one of two hits for the shortstop while Geisler and O'Neal also knocked two hits. O'Neal added two walks on an impressive 2-for-3 day while Geisler scored twice.
 
Unfortunately, Texas State couldn't muster too much more offense after the third inning while UL Lafayette went on to score six more runs. The Ragin' Cajuns generated offense not only through hits but also through eight stolen bases and four Bobcat errors.
 
The Bobcats started quickly in the first inning with a leadoff single from Geisler to start the game. Singles from Mattlage and O'Neal brought Geisler in for the first score of the game and a 1-0 lead. The Ragin' Cajuns bounced back to score three runs in the bottom of the inning on three hits and four steals for a 3-1 lead.
 
UL Lafayette's lead didn't last long as the Bobcats scored three runs off Mattlage's bat in the third. Geisler hit his second single of the day and Ben McElroy followed with one of his own. With both runners on base, Mattlage knocked his homer to give Texas State a 4-3 lead, but it was short-lived.
 
Dangerous ULL runner Jace Conrad got on base with a two-strike hit by pitch. Once on base, he went all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt from the Bobcats, and Caleb Adams brought him in with a single to tie the game. Designated hitter Greg Davis brought Adams in with another single to put the Ragin' Cajuns ahead, 5-4 after three innings.
 
After UL Lafayette scored four runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings, the Bobcats tried to answer in the seventh. Granger Studdard knocked his first hit of the day and O'Neal followed with a double to put runners at second and third base with just one out. Unfortunately for Texas State, consecutive strikeouts ended the scoring opportunity.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns added a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to push the UL Lafayette lead to 11-4. The Bobcats would not be able to cut into it in the ninth. Texas State will get the opportunity to keep playing at 3 p.m. Friday against UL Monroe, the eighth seed in the tournament.