Texas State blasts UTA in series finale for 17-8 blowout win

Texas State dominated UT Arlington on Saturday for a 17-8 run-rule win on the road in seven innings.

All nine of the Bobcats’ starters in the lineup registered a base hit in the win, with seven players swinging for two.

“I thought our offense was relentless all day long starting with four runs off a really tough starter that throws between 95 and 97 (mph),” head coach Steven Trout said in a statement. “When they came back and scored in the fifth to make it 7-6, we scored seven and then three. It was a really good offensive day.”

The maroon and gold scored in all three of the first innings of the game. Junior designated hitter Jose Gonzalez struck first with a two-RBI home run in just the third at-bat of the afternoon. Texas State added another two runs in the first frame, then scored another two in the second to crack open a 6-0 lead.

The Mavericks (11-25, 4-11 Sun Belt) brought their first run across in the bottom of the second, but the Bobcats matched it in the top of the third on an RBI single from senior outfielder Ben McClain. Still, UTA began to rally back, plating two in the bottom of the fourth and three in the bottom of the fifth to trim the deficit to 7-6.

Texas State responded with a seven-run sixth inning, zooming ahead by eight. The visitors tallied six hits across 11 plate appearances, including a double from freshman first baseman Daylan Pena and a triple from McClain. The hosts couldn’t answer in the bottom frame, then surrendered another three runs to the Bobcats in the top of the seventh, suffering the run-rule loss, 17-6.

Junior right-handed pitcher Triston Dixon (5-0) received the win, taking over on the mound in relief with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and retiring the next four batters in order to keep the maroon and gold’s lead intact.

Gonzalez and Pena led the team with four RBIs each, with McClain and redshirt sophomore catcher August Ramirez adding three apiece. The team’s 17 runs scored are the most in any game this year.

Texas State (28-9, 12-3 Sun Belt) will look to continue its five-game winning streak on Tuesday when it hosts I-35 rival UTSA (24-12, 9-6 Conference USA) inside Bobcat Ballpark at 6 p.m.