Texas State pitcher Hunter McMahon kept UL's bats off-balance with a complete-game, 11-strikeout performance that helped to clinch the series for the Bobcats Saturday at Russo Park.

The 3-2 win by the Bobcats (30-13 14-6 Sun Belt Conference) handed the Ragin' Cajuns their sixth straight defeat.

"(McMahon) had good velocity and good command of the breaking ball," UL head coach Tony Robichaux said. "He was able to locate down and then elevate back up-and-in.  When you can do that, I think you're going to be successful no matter what your velocity is, and he was still hitting 92 mph in the ninth inning.  

"He had a little of what I call 'intent' when he came in — some intent — and when you do that it opens up the outer half. We stressed him maybe in the third inning by forcing him to throw 22 pitches, but after that he came back and answered with some 9, 10 and 11-pitch innings. He showed a lot of stamina so you have to give a guy credit like that."

MORE: Relief pitching, Texas State's 9-run fifth inning cost the Cajuns

McMahon (5-4) out-dueled UL starter Jack Burk (1-2), who went six innings before being replaced by Austin Perrin (3 IP, 1 H, 3 K).

"We pitched good enough to win," Robichaux said. "Jack did a good job. Their guy did a good job, too, and so when you get matched up like that it comes down to something little."

With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the fourth, Texas State clean-up hitter John Wuthrich led off with a double down the left-field line.

Wuthrich (2-for-4, 2 runs scored) then advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a balk.

"We gave up a run without them swinging the bat, which is not good," Robichaux said.  "We botched a safety squeeze (in the second inning), so we would have gotten a run if we'd laid the ball down.

"That's kind of the way it's been for us all year. It's a dogfight but you have to keep grinding. That's why they refer to this as a grind, because it is. This game will compress you and kick you."

Burk and Perrin's respective performances on the mound were a positive takeaway for the Cajuns (20-26,. 8-12 SBC) after Texas State scored 13 runs on Friday.

"Jack's been good lately," Robichaux said.  "It just took him a while to get going this year. He finally found his arm slot and once he did that, he's been very good. He gave us a chance to win and has done that every outing he's had.

"I like Austin Perrin, where he was at right there. I just wish we'd have been on the other side of it. We had a chance to drive in a run or two, didn't get it done, and their pitcher went wire-to-wire on us. You hate to see that, too."

Right fielder Daniel Lehare went 2-for-4 for the Cajuns, who had the potential tying run on second base in the eighth when Brennan Breaux drilled a double with one out.

From there, however, Todd Lott flied out and McMahon struck out clean-up man Hunter Kasuls to end the inning. 

"The stress factor is on us," Robichaux said.  "Once the game compresses you down with so many injuries early in the year, it sucks some of the life out of you.  The game gets on top of you and can suck the life out of you, but at the end of the day, that's where the 'want-to-' has to come from.

"At least we got the scoring down.  We got the innings to not spin out of control.  We got rid of the three-game innings, so guess what?  You're one hit within winning the ball game.  We just didn't win it."

The Cajuns now hope to regain the form displayed in their last win, a 6-5 upset of No. 13 LSU on April 16th.

"When you see good pitching like we did today, you usually swing the bat a lot better the next day," Robichaux said.  "Like I said early in the year, we can't wait for the referee to come in and stop the fight like in boxing.  You have to keep working and try not to get knocked out.

"I think it starts with pitching for us. I thought we did a good job today. We played good defense today. In any losing streak it's difficult. We had a team that went to Omaha that got mired in a nine-game losing streak, and a lot of people don't remember that because they recall how you finished."

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