SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sophomore Chase Mora's two hits of afternoon came at clutch moments as he tied the game on an RBI single in the ninth and ended the contest with a two-run walk-off homer in the 11th inning as Texas State claimed an 8-6 victory over 21st-ranked Troy on Sunday at Bobcat Ballpark. It is the second straight year that the Bobcats have earned a series victory over a ranked opponent.
Mora's walk-off home run was his second this season in extra-innings. He also hit a two-run round tripper versus Houston in Minute Maid Park at the Astros Foundation College Classic.
With the win, the Bobcats improved to 26-26 on the season and 12-15 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Trojans dropped to 35-18 overall and 17-10 in league play.
Davis Powell went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored twice. Going 2-for-5 was Alec Patino, who finished with four RBI with three coming on a home run. August Ramirez scored twice and had one base knock. Also finishing with a hit was Alex Gonzales, who scored on Mora's game-winning round tripper.
Picking up the win was Rhett McCaffety (3-0) after he retired the last in the top of the 11th on a strikeout. Jay Dill (1-2) tossed two inning and gave up four hits and the final two runs to take the loss.
Tony Robie made his 41st career start and went five innings with three strikeouts while surrendering four runs on four hits. Peyton Zabel tossed 2.1 scoreless inning with four punch outs. Also striking out four to set a new career-high was Jonathan Martinez as he also thew 2.2 innings.
Scoring first was Troy when it tallied a run in the second on a wild pitch.
The Bobcats responded in the next half inning. Patino hit the team's third consecutive single to drive in Ramirez. With the bases loaded, Cade Manning hit a deep fly to center that allowed Powell to tag and score the second run of the frame.
Patino increased the lead to 5-1 with a three-run homer to left field in the fourth.
The Trojans responded with three runs in the fifth and added another in the sixth to tie the game. In the ninth with a runner on second and two outs, Kyle Mock swung and missed on a 1-2 pitch. The ball was low and got away from Ramirez, who had trouble finding the ball. This allowed Mock to reach first but also Parker Sessions to score all the way from second to give them a 6-5 advantage.
Rashawn Galloway came on as a pinch hitter and drew a walk with one gone in the bottom of the frame. He would be lifted for Samson Pugh as a pinch runner and Kameron Weil would follow by also getting a free pass. Mora then laced a 0-1 pitch to left field that saw Pugh slide into home to tie the game.
Texas State had an opportunity to end the game in the 10th as it got two runners on base. But Troy got out of the inning by inducing a double play.
In the 11th, the Trojans had runners on the corners with two gone when McCaffety was brought on to pitch. The lefty got Adrian Gilroy swinging for a strikeout in the only time he failed to reach base in the game.
Gonzales led off the bottom of the inning with a single back up the middle and he would advance into scoring position on Weil's sacrifice bunt. The first pitch to Mora saw him blast the ball onto the softball field for the walk-off hit and his sixth homer of the season.
The final four games of the regular for the Bobcats are on the road this week beginning on Tuesday at McNeese that is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
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