SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State honored the team's seniors in impressive fashion with a 22-8 victory over UT Arlington on Senior Day Saturday to clinch the series, and, more importantly, secure the sixth seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament in Troy, Ala. As the sixth seed, Texas State will face third seeded UL Lafayette in the first round of the conference tournament on Wednesday, likely to be at 9 a.m.
  The Bobcats belted four home runs, two of which were grand slams, and scored the most runs by a Texas State baseball team since scoring 33 against Prairie View A&M on March 24, 2009. It was the most runs in a conference game since Texas State scored 26 at McNeese State on May 10, 2008.
 
Junior Tanner Hill hit the team's first grand slam of the season along with three singles that led to five more RBI to tie a 16-year-old Texas State school record for most RBI by an individual in a game with nine. It is the most RBI hit by a Bobcat since John Tompkins knocked in nine on March 28, 1999.
 
Hill wasn't the only Bobcat to stand out though. Seniors Cedric Vallieres, Ben McElroy, David Paiz and Colby Targun all knocked a hit in the game. Vallieres and McElroy both homered with Vallieres sending out Texas State's second grand slam of the game and the season in the third inning. It was his 10^th homer of the year. McElroy homered in the fourth to make it a home run in back-to-back games for the senior. He now has a career-high five on the season. Paiz went 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a walk while Targun knocked a single in Texas State's biggest inning that led to a run.
 
In addition, Zach Sullivan put together his best game of the season, going 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and four runs scored. Cory Geisler and Hill led the team in hits with four apiece while Paiz and Sullivan weren't far behind with three each. Only one Bobcat did not strike for a hit in the game, but Luke Sherley balanced that out with three walks and two runs scored.

 

Texas State knocked in 22 RBI on 20 hits and added seven walks on Saturday to simply overwhelm the Mavericks of UT Arlington.
 
The Mavericks struck first in the game with two runs in the top of the first, but the Bobcats brought in freshman righty Tyler Giovanoni to slow UTA down. He went 2.1 innings with four strikeouts to get the win. Braden Pearson, Pasquale Mazzoccoli, Quinn Atwood and Justin Dellinger all pitched in the game, combining for two strikeouts and just one walk.
 
Once out of the top of the first, Texas State snagged a lead with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Geisler and Vallieres hit back-to-back singles and Granger Studdard followed with a walk. With three on, Hill knocked in his first two RBI with a rocket shot to the left field fence. Studdard would score two batters later when Paiz brought him in with a single to centerfield.
 
In the second inning, Sullivan led off with a double. After Geisler reached on a fielder's choice, Vallieres took his 20^th hit by pitch of the season to load the bases. After going 73 games without a grand slam, Hill decided it was enough. He knocked the first Texas State grand slam since Austin O'Neal's in a 4-2 win over Georgia State on April 19, 2014.
 
Not to be outdone, Vallieres followed with a grand slam of his own in the third. Paiz and Sullivan both singled and Sherley got on base with his second walk of the day to load them up. Geisler brought in Paiz with a single through the left side, and Vallieres brought everyone in with his homer in the next at bat.
 
After scoring three runs in the first, four in the second and five in the third, the Bobcats kept the pattern going with six in the fourth. McElroy started it with his solo home run that may have gone even farther than Friday's homer. After a Paiz walk and a Targun single, Sullivan sent a single up the middle to plate Paiz. The top of the lineup kept it going with a single from Geisler and the second hit by pitch of the day for Vallieres to plate a run. Singles from Studdard and Hill after that scored three more runs for Texas State to put the Bobcats up 18-6.
 
In the fifth, Texas State benefitted from three walks while Geisler struck a three-run homer, his fifth of the season. The Mavericks were finally able to hold the Bobcats without a run in the sixth, but it wouldn't matter as Texas State clinched the game with three outs in the top of the seventh to finish it with a run rule.
 
Texas State will now set its sights on the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament, a tournament the Bobcats earned two wins at last season. Continue to check www.txstatebobcats.com throughout the week for updates as the tournament field pans out.



 

@ChrisTavarez @TxStateBaseball congrats @ColbyTargun @_Rick_Ross very proud of yall — jennifer wiginton (@txsportzfan) May 16, 2015	So, uh, @TxStateBaseball put up 22 runs in seven innings. Not surprisingly, they won 22-8 (F/7). Most runs since scoring 33 in 2009 #Bobcats — Chris Tavarez (@ChrisTavarez) May 16, 2015
Dominating win today @TxStateBaseball ! Keep those bats hot at the tournament next week. #TXST #5TRONG #HereComeTheCats — Fastbreak Club (@fastbreak_club) May 16, 2015	What a great way to finish off the final series of the regular season!! @SunBelt Conference tourney bound!!! ???? #gocats @TxStateBaseball — VictoriaJanakkk (@VictoriaJanak) May 16, 2015
@TxStateBaseball made quite a statement in their must win game versus UTA winning 22-8. — Mike Hustle (@MikeHustle) May 16, 2015	Getting a bit BATTY @TxStateBaseball 2 grand slams and we didn't even go to IHOP @espn @txst @TXST_HIGHLIGHTS @1049TheHorn — Rodney E. Rohde (@RodneyRohde) May 16, 2015
@TxStateBaseball @cory_geisler Some records are falling like rain drops in May — Tom Madden (@madden_g) May 16, 2015	Covered many @TxStateBaseball games over the years, never saw anything like this: 18-6 Cats after 4in. Got video of 2 grand slams in 30 min. — Victor Diaz (@VictorOchoDiaz) May 16, 2015