Texas State baseball fell to Louisiana 12-8 Saturday in the Sun Belt Tournament, giving up eight runs in the final two innings. The Bobcats and the Ragin’ Cajuns will play again around 7 p.m., thanks to potential inclement weather, with the winner heading to the championship game.
MORE: What Texas State baseball needs to get an NCAA Tournament at-large bid
Texas State kept pace with Louisiana for the first seven frames of the game. Starting pitcher Alizaeh Gutierrez struggled, allowing four runs in two innings of work. But reliever Alec Beversdorf came in and held the Cajuns to three hits and no runs over the next four innings. The Bobcats scored two runs in the third, and catcher Clayton Namken tied the game in the fourth on an RBI single.
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Outfielder Jackson Cotton gave Texas State a 5-4 lead in the seventh on a sacrifice fly. Louisiana roared back in the following frame, scoring six runs and taking a commanding 10-5 lead. A two-run home run by Cajuns outfielder Donovan LaSalle in the ninth sealed the Bobcats’ fate.
Texas State is part of the bubble teams hoping for an at-large bid. Another loss to Louisiana could knock them out, while a win might be the resume boost they need to make the regionals.
Here are live updates from Texas State and Louisiana’s third game of the Sun Belt Tournament.
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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
Smith gives up a leadoff walk. Cotton tracks down a hard-hit ball in center field for an out. Wade Cooper relieves Smith. Rodriguez steals second, but his foot comes off the bag as the tag is applied. Brown strikes out.
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Galloway grounds out. Salas records a double to left center field. Stewart flies out to the warning track. Namken lines a ball into right field, putting runners on the corners. Salas scores on a passed ball. Cotton strikes out swinging.
Tovar gets the leadoff to ground out to third. He walks Collins. Mandino singles on a bloop hit that falls between the left and center fielders. Bobcats bring in Cade Smith for Tovar. He gives up an RBI single on the first pitch he throws. Spalitta grounds out. Smith picks off Mandino at third, ending the frame.
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Beheler swings and misses, strike three. Mora flies out to right center. Pruitt gets Boles trying to check his swing for his seventh K of the game.
Tovar gets his third K of the day. He sends Amedee down swinging as well. Tovar fields a chopper and flings it to Stewart for the third out.
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Salas leads off with his 15th home run of the season. Stewart draws a walk. Namken pops out to short. Cotton is retired on a called strike three. Stewart is out at second on a fielder’s choice grounder.
Brown draws a leadoff walk. Tovar hits Markle with a pitch and gives up an RBI single to Collins. Mandino lays down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third. LaSalle shoots a pitch into left-center field, plating two more runs. Spalitta strikes out. Vossos fields a grounder for the third out.
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Beheler singles to lead off the inning. Mora grounds into a double play. Boles ropes a single up the middle. Galloway goes down swinging to end the inning.
Spalitta singles through to left field and moves to second on a sacrifice bunt from Rodriguez. Lewis grounds out to Texas State’s shortstop, but Spalitta inches closer to home plate. Amedee grounds out to end the inning.
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Namken strikes out swinging and tried to run to first on a dropped third strike, but was out. Cotton flies out to left field, and Vossos strikes out looking.
Markle grounded out to first to lead off the inning. Mark flies out to center field. The Cajuns had a bit of momentum after a Mandino single, but LaSalle struck out looking.
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Galloway leads off the inning with a popout to the pitcher. Salas strikes out swinging. Stewart pops out to first.
Jesus Tovar starts on the mound for the Bobcats. Rodriguez opens with a groundout, but Lewis strolls to first. Amedee reaches first on a fielder’s choice, but Lee is out at second. Brown lines out to right field to end the inning.
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Stewart strikes out. Namken clears the monster for his 11th homer of the year. Vossos grounds out. Pugh doubles to right. Cotton strikes out swinging to end the game. The teams will play again around 3 p.m.
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.
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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.
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.
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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. Jesus Tovar
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. Sawyer Pruitt
Time: 7 p.m. CT (Potential weather delay)
Location: Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.
TV Channel/Streaming: ESPN +
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