Texas State Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Trailing by a run in the ninth inning, Chase Mora hit a go ahead two-run home run to put Texas State (37-24) up for good in a 5-4 victory over USC (43-16) late Friday night from Blue Bell Park in the College Station Regional.
 
Mora finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI. Going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a homer was Brady Boles. Both Jaquae Stewart and Justin Vossos hit a double each.
 
Picking up the win on the mound was Wade Cooper (7-3) after striking out five over the last three innings. Adam Troy (1-4) gave up two hits and the winning run to take the loss.
 
Ryan Markwardt started and went three innings with four punch outs but surrendered two runs, both being unearned, on three hits and walks. Alec Beversdorf struck out two in his inning of relief. Cade Smith tossed 1.1 scoreless innings and Dylan Kerbow retired both batters he faced.
 
The Trojans threatened in the first when they got two in scoring position with two gone. A sharp hit ball Mora hit off his chest, but the senior third baseman stuck with it and got Jack Basseer at first to end the frame.
 
Stewart led off the next half inning with a double off the centerfield wall. Vossos followed with a bloop hit down the right field line for a double. However, Stewart had to hold up to make sure the ball wasn't caught and only advanced a base. Mora would put the Bobcats in front with a sacrifice fly to right field.
 
USC responded with a run in the bottom of the second on a TXST throwing error. Another run was tacked on in both the third and fourth innings for the second-ranked team in the regional to go up 3-1.
 
Jackson Cotton led off the fifth by working a free pass. Two batters later, Boles hit a moonshot down the left field line that cleared the wall for his second home run of the season and tied the game.
 
With two out in the sixth and a runner on second, Kevin Takeuchi hit a deep fly ball to right field. Rashawn Galloway was able to make a running catch and held on to the ball as he crashed into short outfield wall.
 
The Trojans retook the lead in the eighth when Adrian Lopez sent a 1-1 offering the other way over the right field wall for a solo homer.
 
Vossos led off the ninth and reached base thanks to the third baseman booting the ball. Samson Pugh came on to pinch hit and laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the junior infielder into scoring position. Following a pitch change, Mora blasted a 1-0 offering 422 feet to left center to put Texas State back in front.
 
USC would get a runner into scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the inning. A 2-2 pitch was smacked by Dean Carpenter to the left side of the infield. Mora dove and caught the ball to seal the Bobcats' victory.
 
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