SAN MARCOS, Texas – A nearly three-hour rain delay during Friday's series opener between Texas State (24-10, 9-4 Sun Belt) and Troy (16-18, 6-7 Sun Belt) saw the game end just before midnight. Dawson Park concluded the game in spectacular fashion with a walk-off home run as the Bobcats claimed the contest 8-5 from Irvine-Rasmussen Ballpark.
 
Park finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBI. Also recording two base knocks was Jaquae Stewart, who also drove in three runs. Jackson Cotton scored twice and plated a run.
 
Cade Smith (3-0) threw three shutout innings with one strikeout to earn the win. Dylan Alonso (3-3) walked the only two batters he faced that saw both score to take the loss.
 
Starting on the rubber was Kyle Froehlich and he went three innings before the rain delay. Alizaeh Gutierrez struck out four in three frames of relief with one run allowed.
 
The Trojans struck first with a run in the first. In the bottom of the frame, Park sent a 2-0 pitch to centerfield for an RBI single to tie the game.
 
Immediately, Troy scored twice in the second on two hits and one TXST error.
 
Park drew a walk with two gone in the bottom of the third right before the game was halted due to incoming heavy rain. The delay lasted two hours and 49 minutes before action restarted with Manny Salas being induced to an inning-ending groundout.
 
The visitor's lead would grow by a run in the sixth courtesy of a Texas State fielding error.
 
With two gone in the next half inning, Salas hit a slow dribbler to the second baseman for an infield single. Ethan Farris followed by working a free pass. An 0-1 pitch to Stewart was sent into the netting above the left field wall for a three-run homer and tied the game at 4-4.
 
It only took Troy until the top of the seventh to retake the lead on a sacrifice bunt from Steven Meier that scored Josh Pyne from third.
 
Clayton Namken started off the bottom of the ninth by being walked. He would be lifted pinch runner Austin Munguia. Five pitches later, Chase Mora was issued a free pass to put the winning run on base. Cotton would send a single through the right side past the diving second baseman to tie the game and put runners on the corners.
 
After seeing the first two pitches to him be out of the zone, Park went the opposite way with the third offering for his team leading 12th home run of the season and the walk-off win to extend the team's winning streak to three games.
 
Saturday will see the Bobcats and Trojans play a doubleheader with the first contest scheduled to start at 12 p.m.
 
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