LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For the first time this season, the Texas State baseball team (33-16, 17-8 Sun Belt) was on the other end of a walk-off hit as it fell 4-3 in 10 innings to Little Rock (23-25, 14-10 Sun Belt) on Friday night at Gary Hogan Field.
 
The Trojans got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first when Riley Pittman sent a 2-2 offering over the right field fence for a solo home run.
 
Ryan Newman tied the game in the next half inning when he blasted the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for a solo shot. It was his fifth homer of the season and 24th of his career to sit along in eighth place in program history.
 
After two scoreless innings by both teams, LR retook the lead 2-1 with two outs in the fifth. Chase Coker hit a hanging pitch for a solo homer to right field.
 
The next half inning saw Jaylen Hubbard send a 2-2 pitch back up the middle. He hustled around to slide into second for his 45th career double to tie Paul Goldschmidt for third in program history. The very next pitch was sent right back up the middle off the bat of Jaxon Williams for an RBI single to tie the game.
 
John Wuthrich followed two batters later by lacing a double down the left field line. Following a meeting on the mound, Dalton Shuffield laced the first pitch he saw to center field for an RBI single to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game 3-2.
 
The first pitch of the bottom of the seventh was crushed over the right field wall by Troy Alexander to tie the contest.
 
After a lead off single by Felipe Rodriguez in the top of the 10th, Jacob Almendarez was brought on as a pinch runner. Hubbard drew his second walk of the game as the ball got away from the catcher. Almendarez was running on the pitch and attempted to advance to third but was thrown out. The Trojans were able to regroup and record the final two outs of the inning without giving up a run.
 
With one out in the bottom of the frame, Coker laid down a bunt and beat it out for hit. Eldrige Figueroa hit a chopper over the head of Newman into shallow right field as Coker took off on the offering. Coker was able to beat the throw home for winning run.
 
Suffering the loss was Brandon Lewis (0-2). The senior left-hander threw 1.2 innings of relief as he recorded all five outs via strikeout. Donavin Buck (4-4) earned the win after throwing a scoreless frame out of the bullpen with two strikeouts.
 
Nicholas Fraze started on the mound for TXST and went seven strong innings. The junior right-hander gave up three runs on six hits while striking out eight without walking a batter. Also seeing action on the hill was Anthony Pagano, who recorded the first two outs of the eighth inning.
 
Seven different Bobcat batters had a hit on the night. The only extra-base hits were doubles by Hubbard and Wuthrich in the two-run sixth. Hubbard did extend his reached base streak to a TXST season-high 22 contests.
 
The series with the Trojans continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
 
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