SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the first time since late March, Texas State won a weekend Sun Belt Conference series with a doubleheader split against Old Dominion Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark. The Bobcats won the first contest 8-6 while the Monarchs claimed the night cap 7-4.

With the results, TXST is now 24-25 on the season and 10-14 in the conference while ODU is 25-21 and 12-12 in league play.

Game 1
Picking up his second straight win on the rubber was Drayton Brown (2-3) after he struck out five in five innings while giving up three runs on five hits. Ben Moore (1-1) allowed four runs on four hits in four frames to take the loss.

Rhett McCaffety had a solid outing in relief as the lefty threw a career-high 3.1 innings while striking out two. Recording the final two outs of the game was Jonathan Martinez.

At the plate, Chase Mora went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two home runs, his first since his grand slam against then 15th-ranked Texas on Mar. 2 at Minute Maid Park. Davis Powell drove in two runs as he went 2-for-3 at the dish. Scoring twice, stealing a base and hitting a triple was Aaron Lugo.

The Monarchs got a solo home run from Luke Waters in the first and another solo shot courtesy of Kenny Levari in the fourth.

Kameron Weil led off the bottom of the fourth by beating out a bunt for an infield single. Mora came up and sent a 2-0 offering 430 feet over the left centerfield wall to tie the game. After Ryne Farber reached via a bunt single, Lugo tripled to right center to put the Bobcats in the lead. The junior third baseman would later score on a Powell sacrifice fly to increase the advantage to 4-2.

Maverick Stallings got a run back for ODU with a solo homer in the next half inning. Mora answered in the bottom of the inning with his second two-run home run in as many innings.

Powell would drive in a run on a single and Manning hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to increase the lead to 8-3.

The Monarchs would not go away and scored once in the eighth. They would score twice in the ninth before the final out was recorded for the final runs of the contest.

Game 2
Both Alec Patino and Farber went 2-for-4 in the second game of the day. Driving in a run apiece was Lugo, Manning and Patino. Both Lugo and Farber stole a base as well.

John Holobetz (4-4) went 5.2 innings out of the bullpen with two runs allowed on four hits and free passes to pick up the win. Brandon Pond recorded the final out of the game to earn his first save of the season. Taking the loss was Peyton Zabel after he surrendered three runs on two hits with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief.

Tony Robie struck out three in 5.1 innings in his 40th career start. Posting one strikeout in 1.1 scoreless innings was Cameron O'Banan.

For the third consecutive game, ODU scored first with a run with it being tallied in the second.

With one gone in the bottom of the inning, Daylan Pena drew a walk and advanced to third on Powell's single. Manning beat out a grounder to the third baseman on a potential inning-ending double play that allowed Pena to score to tie the game.

In the third, Patino led off with an infield single and moved into scoring position on a Weil sacrifice bunt. After Mora was walked, Farber hit the first pitch to him to right for a single that loaded the bases. Lugo would hit a pop up into shallow right centerfield that was caught by the Monarch second baseman. Patino tagged and was able to avoid a diving tag attempt by the catcher to score and give the Bobcats a 2-1 advantage.

The score would remain the same until the sixth when ODU tied the game on a sacrifice fly. The visitors went ahead with three runs in the seventh and tacked on two more in the eighth.

Holobetz stifled TXST's offense until the ninth inning when Manning started off the frame by drawing a free pass and August Ramirez singled to right. Texas State got one run in the final inning on a Patino RBI single.

After back-to-back fly outs, Farber was hit on a 2-2 pitch to load the bases and cause ODU to make its second call to the bullpen in the inning. Lugo would swing and miss on a 1-2 offering but the ball got away from the catcher. He and all the runners advanced safely to cut the deficit to three and keep the bases loaded.

Pena would get ahold of a 0-1 pitch but just missed connecting solidly with it as he would hit a deep fly out to left center for the final out.

The Bobcats wrap up their home slate next weekend with a Sun Belt series against Troy. The first game of the three-game set is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.

For all things Texas State baseball, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.