MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Texas State baseball team saw its time in the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University come to an end Friday night with a 12-6 loss to Louisiana at Riverwalk Stadium.
The Bobcats conclude the season with a 36-23 record while the Ragin' Cajuns improve to 38-21 overall.
Zeke Wood (2-4) struck out five in 3.1 innings in his final start in a Texas State uniform and was credited with the loss. Steven Cash (1-1) worked an inning of relief and JT Etheridge threw two scoreless frames to earn his first save of the season.
As a team, the Bobcats struck out a season-high 17 with
Jack Stroud setting a career-high with seven punch outs.
Cameron Bush recorded two strikeouts and recording one apiece was
Rhett McCaffety,
Nathan Medrano and
Peyton Zabel.
Kameron Weil went 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice. Also recorded two base knocks on the evening was
Jose Gonzalez and
Chase Mora. Both of Mora's hits were doubles and he also drove in two runs. Finishing with a double on the night was
August Ramirez, as well.
The Ragin' Cajuns struck first on just three pitches thrown. Max Marusak leadoff the game with a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Carson Roccaforte.
With runners on the corners and two gone in the bottom of the frame, Mora ripped a 1-1 pitch down the third baseline for an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.
The Bobcats had an opportunity to take the lead in the second. With two outs,
Ben McClain was hit by a pitch,
Kameron Weil was walked and then
Davis Powell was plunked to load the bases. However, a groundout back to the pitch ended the frame with no one coming across.
Louisiana retook the lead with two runs in the third as both came with two outs and behind two TXST errors. Another three runs would be scored by the Cajuns in the fourth to extend their lead to five.
Weil hit a double down the left field line with two gone in the fourth. After
Davis Powell was issued a free pass, Gonzalez sent a single through the right side to cut the deficit to 6-2.
In the next frame, Louisiana got an RBI double courtesy of CJ Willis to increase its advantage back to five.
Mora sent the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth down the left field line for his second double of the game. Ramirez followed with a double down the right field line drive in a run. After a passed ball, Ramirez would score on a double play to make it a 7-4 contest.
The Cajuns though would answer back in the sixth with another run.
Weil started the bottom of the frame with a single to left center. Gonzalez would be hit by a pitch and Pena sent the first pitch to him to left to load the bases. Mora would drive in a run on a fielder's choice to again pull TXST to within three. Ramirez nearly tied the game as he sent an 0-1 offering deep to right field that was caught nearly at the wall to end the inning.
After Louisiana again scored a run in the top of the seventh,
Peyton Lewis leadoff with a single back up the middle in the bottom half of the inning.
Ryder Hernandez reached on a fielder's choice and moved up to second on a bad throw from second base. He would come around to score on a single through the right side by
Ben McClain to make it a 9-6 ball game.
The Cajuns would put the game away with three insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
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