SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior Chase Mora hit a walk-off RBI single in the 10 inning to send Texas State home with a 6-5 win over Grand Canyon at Bobcat Ballpark on Sunday. The victory salvaged the series for the Bobcats after they dropped Friday's and Saturday's games.
With the with, both teams are now 7-4 on the season.
Picking up the win was Alex Valentin (2-0). The lefty struck out six and 6.1 innings of relief and allowed just one run on two hits. Walter Quinn (1-1) tossed 1.1 innings but gave up two runs on three hits to take the loss.
Austin Eaton started on the mound and struck out three in 3.2 innings while giving up up four runs on six hits and one walk.
Finishing with two hits apiece for TXST were Samson Pugh, Cole Tabor and Cameron Thompson. Both Pugh and Zachary Gingrich hit a double while Eaton worked two free passes.
GCU jumped out to two-run advantage in the top of the first when Zach Yorke hit a home run over the left centerfield wall.
Thompson led off the third with a bunt single down the third baseline and he advanced to second on Pugh's sacrifice bunt. A chopper by Theo Kummer was misfielded by the third baseman to allow him to reach base and Ryne Farber sent the next pitch to left field to load the bases.
Gingrich worked a walk to bring in the Bobcats' first run of the game. Ethan Farris reached on a fielder's choice that allowed another run to score to tie the contest. The next two pitches resulted in RBI singles for Eaton and Tabor, respectively, to put Texas State in front 4-2.
In the next half inning, the Lopes quickly responded with two runs to tie the game.
The score remained the same until Josh Wakefield hit a solo homer to left center in the top of the seventh to put the visitors back in front.
Pugh led off the bottom of the ninth by smacking a 1-1 pitch over the leaping GCU first baseman's glove and down the right field line for a double. Travis Bragg came up to pinch hit and grounded out to the second baseman that moved Pugh over to third. A sacrifice fly by Farber to centerfield then tied the game and sent it to extra innings.
Valentin set the Lopes down in order in the top of the 10. The final out saw Thompson making a leaping snag while playing no doubles defense
With one out in the bottom of the frame, Eaton was walked and Caden Baker came on as a pinch runner. The freshman scampered to third on Tabor's single through the right side to put runners on the corners.
Facing an 0-2 count, Mora smacked the next pitch to deep centerfield for the walk-off base knock.
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