BOONE, N.C. – With two on and two out in the bottom of the 11th inning,
Joseph Zamora slapped a first-pitch single into left field to score
Charlie Evans and lift App State to an 8-7 victory over Texas State, earning their first series win against the Bobcats.
Texas State (8-10, 0-2) threatened to take the lead in the top half of the 11th.
Jordan Fisher was summoned from the bullpen with runners at the corners following a double and a bunt single. After issuing an intentional walk to load the bases, Fisher proceeded to strike out the next three hitters to end the inning and get the offense to the plate with the game tied at 7-7. Fisher earned his second win of the season.
In the bottom of the 11th,
Jonathan Xuereb lined a one-out single into center field to begin the rally. Evans then took over as a pinch runner and stole second base to move into scoring position. Evans then advanced to third base on a groundout from
Tyler Lichtenberger and scored the winning run on Zamora's single, which came after
Dillon Moquin was intentionally walked ahead of him with a 2-1 count.
Liam Best was sensational out of the bullpen for App State. The right-hander tossed a career-high 3.0 scoreless innings in relief and struck out four, including fanning the side in the 10th inning.
App State (10-8, 2-0) had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Texas State center fielder Sampson Pugh threw out
Tyler Figueroa at the plate on a Lichtenberger single. Third baseman Chase Mora also made a strong defensive play at third, catching a hard-hit lineout from
John Kramer to prevent the Mountaineers from winning the game in the tenth.
The Mountaineers did the majority of their damage at the plate during a five-run sixth inning. Lichtenberger walked with one out and Moquin and Zamora followed with a hit by pitch and a walk respectively.
Tanner McCammon then lined an RBI single to right field and
Braxton Church followed with an RBI fielder's choice. After a walk to
Kameron Miller loaded the bases, Kramer cleared them with a three-run triple to put the Mountaineers in front 7-4.
Kramer finished with a career-high four RBIs, while Lichtenberger reached base five times in the ballgame.
After Texas State took a 4-1 lead midway through the contest with two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, the Bobcats forced extras with three runs in the top of the eighth.
App State opened the ballgame with a run in the first inning when Kramer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, but the Mountaineers stranded the bases full in each of the first two frames, as Bobcat starter Alex Valentin was able to wiggle out of trouble and ultimately worked five innings.
App State will go for the series sweep on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. The 2025 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
