LAFAYETTE, La. – The Texas State baseball team lost 4-3 to Louisiana in a Sun Belt Conference series finale Sunday afternoon at Russo Park.
 
The Bobcats dropped to 25-27 overall and 11-16 in the SBC, while the Ragin' Cajuns improved to 32-20-1 on the year and 16-10-1 in the league.
 
Thanks to other action around the league, TXST secured its spot in the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Championship. The postseason tournament will emanate May 23-28 from Statesboro, Georgia. The maroon and gold will compete on May 23 in a first-round, single-elimination game and will be seeded somewhere between No. 7-10.
 
Texas State outscored Louisiana 18-16 for the weekend and outhit the Ragin' Cajuns 30-20. The Bobcats outhit UL in every game, which was the first time since April 26-30 of last year that Louisiana was outhit in three-straight games.  
 
The Bobcats scored once in each of the first two innings to take the first lead of the game for the third day in a row. Louisiana plated four in the bottom of the fourth frame, and that would be all the home team would need to fend off TXST.
 
Junior Theodore Hoffman led the Bobcats with a 3-for-4 effort and an RBI. The three runs came from sophomores Jacob Almendarez, Jonathan Ortega and Jaylen Hubbard. Junior Dylan Paul recorded a ground-rule double in the eighth to extend his career-best hitting streak to a team-high 13 games.
 
Junior Cam Baird (1-6) suffered the loss after conceding four runs on six hits in 6.0 innings. Senior Joe Powell, sophomore Connor Reich and true freshman Broc Bosse did not allow a hit across the final two frames.
 
Hogan Harris (4-2) took the win after giving up three runs on five hits in 6.0 innings. Wyatt Marks tossed a perfect ninth to earn his seventh save of the season.
 
No member of the Ragin' Cajuns had more than one hit. Only Steven Sensley finished with multiple RBIs, as he had a pair.
 
Texas State will next head to Houston for a date with Rice. The final non-conference tilt of the regular season will emanate from Reckling Park at 6:30 p.m. May 16.
 
-TxStateBobcats.com-