Baseball Falls 8-5 in Sun Belt Series Finale at Texas State

Sunday, March 19

San Marcos, Texas

1 p.m.

Southern Miss

12-7, 1-2

Texas State

13-6, 2-1

Southern Miss

Texas State

Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com

Baseball Falls 8-5 in Sun Belt Series Finale at Texas State

3/19/2023 4:44:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Chase Mora collected three hits and drove in four runs to lead Texas State to an 8-5 victory over Southern Miss Sunday afternoon in clinching the Sun Belt Conference series at Bobcat Ballpark.

The Golden Eagles dropped their second game in a row to fall to 12-7 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt play, while the Bobcats improved to 13-6 and 2-1.

For the third game of the series, the Golden Eagles jumped out front early. After a strikeout to open the second, Rodrigo Montenegro walked before Danny Lynch belted one off the scoreboard in right center to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead.

That lead did not last long as the Bobcats got to Golden Eagle starter Niko Mazza in the third inning. The Bobcats took advantage of four Mazza walks in the frame, getting a two-run double from Jose Gonzalez and a two-run single from Mora to take the 4-2 advantage. Mazza allowed four runs on two hits and five walks with a strikeout over 2 2/3 innings in his outing.

Carson Paetow cut the Golden Eagles' deficit with a solo home run to open the fourth, a blast to right, for his second long ball of the year and then tied the game in the fifth on a single, driving in Matthew Etzel who opened the stanza with a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

Again, Texas State retook the advantage in the bottom of the frame. The Bobcats took the lead for good with a pair of runs on run-scoring fielder's choice Peyton Lewis, before Ben McClain added RBI single to make the score 6-4.

Mora then gave the home team a three-run advantage with an RBI double in the sixth and provided their final run on a solo homer, his eighth, to straightway center in the eighth.

The only other Golden Eagle run came via Slade Wilks team-leading fifth home in the seventh. Southern Miss had a chance to tie or go ahead in the eighth with the bases loaded and two outs, but Etzel's drive to center was caught up against the wall by McClain to end the threat.

Texas State reliever Triston Dixon threw 3 2/3 innings and allowed a run on two hits with three walks to earn the victory and improve to 1-0, while Rhett McCaffety got the final two outs and allowed a walk to earn his first save.

Isaiah Rhodes, the second of five Golden Eagle pitchers suffered the loss by giving up two runs on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts over two innings to suffer the loss and fall to 0-1.

The five Golden Eagle pitchers combined to allow a season-high 13 walks.

The Golden Eagles complete its current five-game road swing Tuesday at New Orleans. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m., at Maesti Field.