Austin — Mitchell Pitts wanted to start Saturday afternoon with Texas State’s season on the line.

It’s a good thing his head coach, Ty Harrington, isn’t afraid of giving him the ball.

Pitts delivered another crucial outing for the Bobcats, this time in an elimination game of the NCAA Austin Regional. The junior right-hander nailed down his ninth quality start of the season, holding Princeton to a run in 7 1/3 innings, propelling Texas State to a 3-1 win.

“My history with Mitchell is now three years, and each time in big moments that we have ever given him the baseball, he was really responded in a positive way,” Harrington said. “A lot of it has to do with his abilities, the majority has to do with his guts and courage.”

If the Bobcats (41-22) were going to get by the Tigers and advance further into the losers’ bracket, Pitts’ moxie needed to be on full display. Pitts couldn’t afford to have a day off — and he didn’t.

Princeton (23-24) tested Pitts throughout the game, but the junior stood tall. Even though the Tigers — who hadn’t played in a game before the tournament since May 8 — put runners in scoring position in four different innings, Pitts didn’t budge. Pitts hit every spot with his off-speed pitches and sinking fastball, posting three of his four strikeouts and inducing three inning-ending ground outs in those situations.

“Our guys would have probably rather seen a guy throwing 88-90 [miles per hour], coming right after them, instead of a right-hander with a lot of deception, movement and changes in speeds,” Princeton head coach Scott Bradley said. “Facing a guy like Pitts, who isn’t giving you the same pitch in any count and in any situation, is tough for a team like ours coming off a long break.”

While Pitts held the Tigers in check, Princeton starting pitcher Mike Ford did his best with Texas State’s lineup. Like the Tigers against Pitts, the Bobcats had their chances facing Ford, a freshman, but couldn’t come through.

Texas State’s best opportunity at breaking the game open, from its 1-0 lead it got on an Andrew Stumph sacrifice fly in the fourth, came with the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth. Ford didn’t back down, however, recording three outs on two swings (double play by Tyler Sibley and Bret Atwood’s pop out).

“I hadn’t challenged them inside all day, so I thought I would go in on [Sibley] with a fastball and try to get him to roll over,” Ford said. “It worked out really well and the play was executed. I just had to keep moving the ball on them.”

The Bobcats finally broke through in the eighth with two runs, off two more sacrifice flies. Atwood scored Christian Gallegos and then following a perfect hit-and-run with Casey Kalenkosky at the plate, Kyle Kubitza brought home Sibley, who got on and moved Gallegos to third thanks to a great bunt.

“Sometimes you can’t just sit there and play the game out and wait 27 outs in this ballpark,” Harrington said. “Our hit-and-run game and bunt game, especially Sibley’s bunt in the eighth were extremely good.”

Texas State sweated out another eighth and ninth inning at UFCU Disch-Falk Field when Princeton loaded the bases in the former, but Joseph Dvorsky stood tall. Dvorsky pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, holding the Tigers to only one hit.

The Bobcats return to the field Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Texas. The Longhorns, with staff ace Taylor Jungmann on the mound, lost to Kent State in Saturday’s second game.

“We are a team that has faced defeats before,” Pitts said. “We lost in the first game of the [Southland Conference] Tournament and then came back to win the entire thing. We kind of enjoy doing that kind of thing. It really doesn’t phase us.”