Texas State baseball faces Louisiana on Saturday in the Sun Belt Tournament, with a spot in the championship game on the line. It’s the second time the teams are facing off as the Ragin’ Cajuns advanced from the loser’s bracket.
The Bobcats walked off the Cajuns 4-3 on Thursday night, thanks to a four-run ninth-inning rally. Texas State hadn’t scored a run up until that point, and the victory boosted its RPI to 37th, thereby increasing its at-large bid chances.
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MORE: What Texas State baseball needs to get an NCAA Tournament at-large bid
It fell back to 40th following Louisiana’s 5-4 win Friday over Coastal Carolina. The Cajuns are 36th in RPI and haven’t beaten the Bobcats this year. They’ll need to do so twice in one day to make the finals. Texas State, having not lost in the tournament yet, needs a single win.
D1 Baseball’s latest projection has Texas State among the first four out and Louisiana among the last four in. Although the Bobcats are on the outside looking in, another victory over the Cajuns could squeeze them onto the right side of the bubble.
Here are live updates from Texas State’s matchup with Louisiana.
Texas State outfielder Jackson Cotton (44) swings at a pitch during the game against Louisiana at Bobcat Ballpark on Saturday, March. 21, 2026 in San Marcos, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
Tyler Walton takes the mound for the ninth. Collins grounds out to Stewart at first. Mandino finds a gap right along the left field line for a double. LaSalle hits a two-run blast way over the left field wall to make it 12-5. Two groundouts end the frame.
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Boles leads off with a ground out. Galloway flies out to shallow center field. Smith retires Salas on a flyout, sending the game into the final inning.
Brown and Markle record consecutive singles to put Cajuns on first and third with no outs. Kerbow gives up a double off the right-field wall, allowing Louisiana to tie the game. Kyle Froehlich relieves Kerbow with runners on second and third. Mandino finds a gap in shallow center field, plating two more runs. Texas State finds an out on a popup to second base. Spalitta drives a single into center, and another RBI pushes the lead to three.
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Cameron O’Banan comes in. Rodriguez reaches on a fielding error by Boles. O’Banan hits the next batter. Amedee strikes out swinging. Brown records a two-RBI single to left center. He steals second. A groundout ends the top of the eighth.
Vossos leads off the frame with a double off the right-field wall. Samson Pugh pinch-hits, laying down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to third base. Cotton hits a flyball to left, deep enough for Vossos to tag up and score. Mora grounds out.
Dylan Kerbow replaces Beversdorf on the mound. He gets Rodriguez to fly out and Lewis to ground out. Cotton makes a diving catch in center field for a quick inning of work.
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Salas flies out to shallow left field. Stewart grounds out. Namken lines out to first base.
Vossos handles a grounder for out number one. Mora makes a diving play at third to steal a hit from Mandino. Beversdorf walks LaSalle. He strikes out Spalitta to end the top of the sixth.
Parker Smith takes over to start the fifth. Cotton draws his second walk of the game. He steals second. Mora flies out to right, and Cotton moves to third. Boles strikes out swinging. Galloway grounds out, keeping Cotton from scoring.
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Beversdorf sends Amedee down swinging. He freezes Brown on a breaking ball for another K. A ground out to short sends Louisiana’s bats back to the bench.
Galloway knocks a double high off the right field wall. Salas lines a ball right to the third baseman. Carter hits Stewart, putting runners on first and second. Namken rips a single into center field, tying the game. Vossos fouls out. Beheler pops out to end the fourth.
Beversdorf strikes out LaSalle, his first of the day. Spalitta flies out to left field. Rodriguez finds a gap in center field for a standup, two-out double. A groundout keeps the score at 4-3.
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Salas records a leadoff single for Texas State’s first hit. The Cajuns pull Papenbrock for Garret Carter. Stewart doubles into left field, putting Bobcats on second and third. Namken strikes out swinging. Vossos draws a walk to load the bases with one out. Beheler goes down swinging on three pitches. Cotton cuts the lead to one on a single that squeezes past a diving Amedee. Carter hits Mora to load the bases again.
Boles flies out to left field to leave them loaded.
Gutierrez gives up a walk to Rodriguez. Another to Noah Lewis, and the Bobcats send Alec Beversdorf to the mound. Amedee pokes an RBI single to left field, extending the Cajuns’ lead. The first out comes on a flyout to right. Markle doubles to make it 4-1. Boles makes a leaping snag at short for the second out. A groundout strands the rest of the runners.
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Outfielder Blake Beheler leads things off with a walk. Papenbrock gives up a fourth walk, putting Jackson Cotton on first and Beheler on second. Mandino makes a nice catch in right field to prevent runs from scoring, though Beheler advances to third. Infielder Brady Boles flies out to right, allowing Beheler to score. Cotton takes second on a wild pitch. A third flyout to right field ends the second.
Infielder Drew Markle draws a leadoff walk. Outfielder Mark Collins advances Markle with a sacrifice bunt, and he makes it to third on a fielder’s choice grounder by outfielder Maddox Mandino. Infielder Donovan LaSalle turns on a pitch and sends it over the left-field wall for a two-run home run. Gutierrez sends Steven Spalitta to the bench on a groundout.
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Louisiana starting pitcher Tyler Papenbrock retires Rashawn Galloway on a slow chopper to second base. Manny Salas draws a walk on a full count. Outfielder Jaquae Stewart grounds into a fielder’s choice, allowing Salas to make it to second base. Papenbrock walks catcher Clayton Namken, his second of the inning. Papenbrock strikes out infielder Justin Vossos on three pitches to strand the runners.
Texas State starting pitcher Alizaeh Gutierrez strikes out leadoff Blaze Rodriguez to begin his outing. Louisiana outfielder Noah Lewis records a double down the left field line. Infielder Lee Amedee flies out to right field. Catcher Colt Brown fouls out to bring up the bottom of the inning.
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RF Rashawn Galloway
2. DH Manny Salas
3. 1B Jaquae Stewart
4. C Clayton Namken
5. 2B Justin Vossos
6. LF Blake Beheler
7. CF Jackson Cotton
8. 3B Chase Mora
9. SS Brady Boles
SP. Alizaeh Gutierrez
SS Blaze Rodriguez
2. CF Noah Lewis
3. 2B Lee Amedee
4. C Colt Brown
5. 3B Drew Markle
6. LF Mark Collins
7. RF Maddox Mandino
8. 1B Donovan LaSalle
9. DH Steven Spalitta
SP. Tyler Papenbrock
Time: 10 a.m. CT
Date: May 23
Location: Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.
TV Channel/Streaming: ESPN +