COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas State pushed No. 3 Texas A&M to the very edge in Tuesday night's 11-inning thriller. Unfortunately for Texas State, the Aggies survived with a walk-off RBI single from Logan Nottebrok in the bottom of the 11^th inning to win, 8-7.
 
Tyler Giovanoni put together an outstanding outing in relief to keep the Bobcats in the game. The freshman from Schertz, Texas, has been making good appearances lately, but Tuesday's may have been his best. He entered the game in the seventh inning to tally six strikeouts and only give up one hit with no walks until the final inning.
 
At the plate, the Bobcats showed their offensive ability with 11 hits against Texas A&M's strong pitching staff. Granger Studdard, Tanner Hill, Colby Targun, and Ben McElroy all struck two hits in the game with Studdard and McElroy plating two RBI each. Cory Geisler, Cedric Vallieres and Targun each added an RBI as well. The Bobcat bats would work through Texas A&M's starter in just the first inning and eventually force the Aggies to throw eight different pitchers.
 
The Bobcats grabbed an early 3-0 lead, but the Aggies were able to tie the game in the third. Then, in the sixth inning, Texas A&M scored four runs to go up, 7-3. Texas State, however, answered with a seven-hit, four-run inning to tie the game again at 7-7. It would stay that way until Nottebrok's walk-off hit.
 
Texas State started the game hot. After a Vallieres walk, his 24^th of the year, Studdard knocked a single through the middle. Hill followed with a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Targun knocked a single down the left field line to plate the first run of the game.
 
After that, McElroy hit a double down the line to score two more and put the Bobcats up 3-0 early. Two pitches into the next at bat, Texas A&M called the team's first reliever on the night and was able to get the third out. Unfortunately, after that, the Aggies retired 16 consecutive Bobcat batters. Texas State would not get another hit until David Paiz led off the seventh inning with a single to left field to begin a four-run rally.  
 
In the bottom of the first inning, the Aggies used back-to-back walks and two singles to score one run. With the bases loaded though, the Bobcats turned the first of three double plays to close out the inning. Texas A&M added two more runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game. After two walks and a balk to start the inning, a groundout plated one runner and a sacrifice fly tied the game, 3-3.
 
Both teams played two scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, but Texas A&M was able to score four in the sixth. The Aggies reached on an error and a walk, and then leadoff man Blake Allemand knocked a single to left field. Studdard made an outstanding throw home to ensure a play at the plate, but the umpire called the runner safe to put Texas A&M up, 4-3.
 
With two outs in the inning, the two base runners for Texas A&M were running on everything. The Aggies hit an infield single in just the right gap. While the Bobcats were worried about the man running to first, both base runners scored to put Texas A&M up, 6-3. Texas A&M would drive in one more run before the end of the inning.
 
The Bobcats stormed back in the seventh. Paiz knocked his leadoff hit, and McElroy and Jared Huber followed with consecutive singles to load the bases. Geisler slid one through the left side to plate the first run of the inning. Vallieres followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5. Studdard kept the rally going after a pitching change with a base knock up the middle to plate both base runners and tie it up again, 7-7. The Bobcats struck seven hits in the seventh inning to score four runs and tie it up.
 
In the ninth inning, after two strikeouts, Hill knocked a two-out double to keep the inning alive, but the Bobcats couldn't bring him in. A fly out ended the opportunity. Defensively, Texas State sat down the Aggies, 1-2-3, with a fly out and two strikeouts from Giovanoni, to push the game to extra innings.
 
Nothing came easy for either team in extras. Finally, in the bottom of the 11^th, Texas A&M put two runners on with a walk and a hit by pitch. A sacrifice bunt moved them both into scoring position with just one out. The Bobcats decided to take advantage of the free base and intentionally walk the next batter, then Giovanoni responded with a strikeout to bring the Bobcats within one out of seeing a 12^th inning. Nottebrok, though, ended the game with his base knock.
 
The Bobcats will travel to Atlanta this weekend for a Sun Belt Conference series at SBC leader Georgia State and follow that up with a game at Texas in the midweek before hosting Arkansas State and UT Arlington in the final two series of the regular season.



 

So proud of @TxStateBaseball tonight! Gave @TAMU a hell of a game!! Proud to be a #TxSt alumni. — Marileen Boulos (@MarileenBoulos) April 29, 2015	And today more than ever. I thank God I'm a Bobcat???? #EatEmUpCats @TxStateBaseball — Reagan Knightstep (@Reagann10) April 29, 2015
@TxStateBaseball made me proud tonight, even though they lost they played one heck of a game ???? #EatEmUpCats — Hailey!! (@haileydpardy) April 29, 2015	I liked the fight I saw in the Cat tonight @TXSTBobcatClub @TxStateBaseball — Tom Madden (@madden_g) April 29, 2015