Texans hammer Arkansas-Pine Bluff 23-1 in series opener

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STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton Baseball had a breakout offensive game, scoring a season-high 23 runs in a 23-1 run-rule thrashing of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday at the Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.

It was the first 20-run performance for the Texans in the Division I era and they had a season-high 15 hits. The 23 runs are tied for the 12th most in school history, which has been done nine times and the first since 2018 in a 23-2 win over Arlington Baptist.

10 different Texans had a hit, while four Texans posted a multi-hit game led by Colby Feris’ career performance at the plate with a 3-for-4 outing and 3 RBI. Five Texans had at least 3 RBI, led by Colby Seltzer’s career-high 4 RBI that was highlighted by a 3-run home run in the third inning.

The Texans scored early and often against the Golden Lions, posting five runs in the third, seven in the fourth, nine in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Seltzer’s third-inning home run broke the game open for a 5-0 lead after Dean Frew added an RBI single earlier in the inning. The Texans had five runs on five hits in the third.

In the seven-run fourth, Kemuel Thomas-Rivera launched his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to left, to put the Texans up 7-0. Thomas-Rivera went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Corey Young and Blake Burns singled after the home run and Frew was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game to load the bases. The next three batters reached base to score runs starting with Seltzer’s bases-loaded walk. Ian Groves added a two-run single and Feris followed with a two-run single to center for a 12-0 lead through four.

The Texans broke open the flood gates in the fifth with nine runs, highlighted by Young’s three-run triple to center to put the Texans up 20-0. Young finished the game 2-for-5 with three runs and three RBI. Burns added his second hit, an RBI double in his next at-bat. Five runs scored that inning on either a walk, hit by pitch or sacrifice fly. Arkansas-Pine Bluff hit eight Texan batters in a game, including six different batters.

Feris added an RBI single in the sixth and Gannon Azios brought home the final Texan run on an RBI single to right to go up 23-0.

Not to be overlooked by the offensive outburst, the Texan pitching staff dominated the Golden Lions all game. Hunter Thomas got the start and threw 2.1 shutout innings allowing only three hits. Justin Walton earned the victory (1-1) and followed with 2.2 shutout innings with only two hits and struck out two. Garrett Leggitt and Michael Pilato each threw no-hit innings in the final two frames with the only run allowed being an unearned run in the seventh.

Tarleton will close out the series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday, March 3 with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

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