SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State baseball team earned a 10-6 victory over Little Rock in a Sun Belt Conference series finale Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark.
 
The Bobcats (15-11-1, 4-5 SBC) snapped a six-game losing skid, while the Trojans fell to 16-11 overall and 6-3 in conference action.
 
The visitors initially scratched across two runs before the maroon and gold had a chance to bat, but TXST grinded out a pair of markers in the first and second frames to equalize.
 
An RBI double from junior Jaylen Hubbard in the bottom of the third plated senior Derek Scheible and gave the home side their first lead of the series, but more theatrics would be needed to close out the day. Senior Dylan Paul scored on a wild pitch later in the frame to push TXST's advantage to 4-2, and the maroon and gold erupted for three in the fifth thanks to homers from Scheible and Hubbard.
 
The 7-2 advantage was nearly matched by Little Rock when the Trojans scored four in the top of the eighth, but Texas State countered with a three-spot in the home half of the frame to create enough separation for the victory. Junior Braden Pearson sat down LR in order in the top of the ninth to secure the 10-6 triumph.
 
Texas State pounded out 14 hits, led by a career-high four from Paul. He drove in two and tied his career high with three runs scored. Senior Mickey Scott, Hubbard and fellow juniors Jacob Almendarez and Jonathan Ortega all finished with two hits. Hubbard had three RBIs and scored once, Scheible scored three times and Scott drove in two teammates.
 
Junior Wes Engle allowed two runs on four hits across the first 4.2 innings on the mound. He landed one out shy of earning the victory, finishing with three strikeouts and four walks in the no-decision. Classmate Kyle Bradford (1-0) relieved Engle and earned the victory after tossing 2.1 scoreless frames. He gave up just one hit, while striking out two and walking one.
 
Chase Coker and Matt Merino were the lone Trojans with double-figure hits, both finishing with two. Merino and Ryan Benavidez posted two RBIs each.
 
LR starting pitcher Ethan Daily (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up four runs in the first 2.1 innings. He walked five and struck out just three. Little Rock burned through seven pitchers on the day. Typical lights-out closer Justin Garcia was used for the third day in a row in the eighth, and he was tagged for two runs and three hits in just 0.2 innings before being pulled.
 
The Bobcats will now prepare for an upcoming five-game week. They will first travel to Waco, Texas, for a makeup game against Baylor at 6:35 p.m. April 2 before playing host to UTSA in the final of three games against the Roadrunners at 6 p.m. April 3. TXST will close out the stretch with a three-game road series against ULM April 6-8 in Monroe, Louisiana.
 
-- TXSTATEBOBCATS.COM --