TXST BASEBALL
Samson Pugh came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, facing bases loaded with two outs with the game tied at 10-10 as the Bobcats looked to avoid the sweep against the N0. 23 ranked Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
Having already sparked the comeback with a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, Pugh looked to be the hero once more.
“I knew he was getting wild,” Pugh said. “So I just really hogged my side of the plate. Make him mess up, and eventually, it worked out for us.”
Facing a 3-0 count, Pugh scored the game winning run the hard way, getting hit by the pitch as pitch runner Cade Baker scored to win a thrilling 11-10 game over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
Freshman Dawson Park throws the ball to second to complete in the double in the Bobcats game on Saturday. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
The win improved Texas State’s record to 17-18 overall and 7-8 in conference play.
Coming into Sunday’s game, the Bobcats were reeling after losing Friday’s game to Southern Miss 5-2 before dropping their Saturday game 121.
Looking to avoid the sweep, Head Coach Steven Trout talked about the importance of winning the crucial game.
“It was huge,” Trout said. “That was the goal before the game was we have to fight. It’s a survivor game. We talked about that a few times this year. And obviously, we want to go win the series, but we’re at the point where you just have to survive. … We came up swinging the bats really well, which is something we really harped on.”
The Bobcats pounced on the Golden Eagles in the first inning. Following a leadoff double from sophomore Ryne Farber, senior Alan Shibley connected with an RBI double down the left field line to put the Bobcats up 1-0.
In the same at-bat, senior Ian Collier hit an RBI single into center, scoring Shibley and making it a 2-0 game. Junior Rashawn Galloway added an RBI double of his own as Texas State entered the second inning up 3-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, Farber struck again, hitting an RBI double to make it a 4-0 game.
Southern Miss answered back in the top of the third inning, scoring three runs to cut Texas State’s lead down 4-3.
The Bobcats answered back when freshman Zachary Gingrich connected with a two-run RBI triple, extending the lead to 6-3.
Southern Miss then went on to score seven unanswered runs through four innings as Texas State found themselves trailing 10-6 going into the eighth inning.
Having given up three runs in the top of the seventh inning on top taking a 110 mile per hour base hit to the thigh, junior closer Carson Laws regrouped going into the eighth and ninth innings.
“Just go out there and just stay patient,” Laws said. “Stay calm, just go out there and compete.”
Trout was proud of his closer not only battling against the physical pain but also keeping the Bobcats in the game.
“The story of the day is Carson Laws,” Trout said. “The guy got hit with what I’m sure was 110 [pitch] in the thigh and could easily come out. [He] wasn’t feeling good the whole time, and he kept wanting baseball. He just laid it down on the line for us and kept us right there after giving up a couple of hits. He just kept battling.”
Laws rebounded, throwing back to back shutout innings in the eighth and ninth innings to keep the Southern Miss offense off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Pugh cut the deficit down to a two-run game after connecting with a two-run home run.
Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Bobcats put runners on second and third but faced two outs.
Coming up to the plate and facing an 0-2 count, Galloway connected with a two-run RBI single, tying the game at 10-10.
Baker came in to pinch run for Galloway who left with an injury. Baker later stole second before Gingrich forced a walk.
After Southern Miss went into the bullpen, freshman Dawson Park loaded up the bases on a full count, being hit by the pitch to bring back Pugh.
Pugh forced a 3-0 count before being hit by the pitch to seal the walkoff win at 11-10.
Texas State will be back home Tuesday night in a mid-week showdown with the Houston Christian Huskies. Houston Christian is coming off a conference series win against the Northwestern State Demons.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
Sophomore Samson Pugh celebrates after being hit by the pitch with the bases loaded to seal the Bobcats win over Southern Miss on Saturday. Photo submitted by Texas State Athletics
