BOONE, N.C. — App State Baseball built an early lead to back a strong start from
Everette Harris on Sunday, then bounced back from a game-tying rally by Texas State to record a 10-8 victory that clinched a Sun Belt Conference series sweep.
After the Bobcats (8-11, 0-3) scored five times in the top of the sixth to pull even at 7-7 against the Mountaineers, who had used a six-run bottom of the first to help establish a 7-0 lead through four innings, App State regained the lead for good with a three-run bottom half of the sixth. That frame included a tiebreaking, two-run single from
Joseph Zamora and a bases-loaded walk.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 3-0) have now won four straight games and five of their last six.
A stingy bullpen effort from
Conner Barozzino (win, 1-2),
Zach Lewis and
Jordan Fisher (save, 4) preserved the late lead, as Barozzino stranded the bases loaded by retiring the final batter of the sixth and then pitched a perfect seventh. Lewis allowed one run in the eighth, and Fisher ended a scoreless, dramatic ninth by getting a strikeout to strand the bases loaded.
A six-run bottom of the first had contributed to App State taking a 7-0 lead into the fifth inning.
Harris faced the minimum through four innings, retiring 11 straight batters and having a leadoff single to open the game eventually erased by an unsuccessful steal attempt. Texas State loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth inning but managed only two runs, as
Tyler Figueroa threw out the trail runner at home following a two-out RBI single that cut the lead 7-2.
Harris exited with runners at the corners and one away in the sixth, when the Bobcats used back-to-back doubles to pull within 7-5. A fielder's choice back to the mound and a two-out RBI single tied the game, but Barozzino was able to keep the score even by stranding the bases loaded on a groundout to short.
App State sent 11 batters to the plate in the first, putting two on before
Kameron Miller just missed a three-run homer on a deep foul ball to left. He drew a 3-2 walk to load the bases for
Braxton Church, who hit the top of the wall in right with a two-run double.
After the Mountaineers reloaded the bases, two more runs scored on a sac fly from Figueroa and RBI groundout from
Tanner McCammon.
App State added two more runs on a pair of RBI singles to short, as
Tyler Lichtenberger's run-scoring hit got stuck in the webbing of the fielder's glove and speedy
Charlie Evans had the green light to score from second on a high chopper deep into the hole between third and short.
The Mountaineers increased their lead to 7-0 on a third-inning sac fly from Lichtenberger.
App State was incredibly patient throughout the ballgame working nine walks while being hit by five pitches.
Dillon Moquin was hit three times and reached base four times out of the leadoff spot, while Miller also reached four times, including drawing three walks. Zamora and McCammon registered multi-hit efforts.
App State returns to action on Tuesday as the team travels to Charlotte for a 6 p.m. first pitch with the 49ers. The 2025 App State baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
