Texas State Athletics

TROY, Ala. – A six-run eighth inning doomed Texas State (36-23) early Saturday afternoon in a 12-6 loss to Louisiana (38-22) in the Sun Belt Conference Championship semifinal played at Riddle-Pace Field.
 
Picking up the win was Parker Smith (3-3) after striking out three in five innings and surrendering two runs on three hits. Dylan Kerbow (1-1) took the loss after giving up three runs in an inning of action.
 
Alec Beversdorf threw four shutout innings out of the bullpen and struck out four. Getting the start was Alizaeh Gutierrez, who gave up four runs in the opening two frames.
 
Going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a home run was Clayton Namken. Plating three runs was Jackson Cotton and Brady Boles drove in a run. Hitting a double apiece was Rashawn Galloway, Samson Pugh, Jaquae Stewart and Justin Vossos.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns opened the scoring in the second when Donovan LaSalle hit a two-run homer to left center.
 
Back-to-back walks to Blake Beheler and Cotton started the next half inning. Chase Mora flew out to deep left that allowed Beheler to tag and advance to third. The freshman would then come home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Boles that was also hit to left field to cut the deficit in half.
 
Louisiana responded with another two-run frame in the third to extend its advantage to 4-1.
 
The bottom of the frame began with a Manny Salas single and Stewart doubling to left center. After Vossos was walked to load the bases, the Cajuns got a strikeout for the second out of the frame. Cotton sent a 1-1 offering through the left side of the infield just past the diving second baseman to plate two runs.
 
In the fourth, Galloway smacked a double off the green monster in right field to start off the frame. The senior would come home when Namken singled to center to tie the game at 4-4.
 
Vossos started the seventh with a double off the green monster in left and moved within 90 feet of home of a sacrifice bunt by Pugh. The junior second baseman would come home to put TXST in front 5-4 on a sac fly from Cotton.
 
Louisiana answered back in the next half inning with six runs to go up 10-5. The Cajuns would tack on two more runs in the ninth.
 
Namken would tally the final run of the game in the bottom of the ninth. The freshman smacked his 11th homer of the season over the right centerfield wall.
 
The rematch to advance to the title game is currently scheduled to take place later tonight with a start time still to be announced.
 
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