SACRAMENTO – Texan Baseball battled through a 14-inning game Friday evening to start off the series in Sacramento with a Texan win.
Tarleton State (23-19, 13-9 WAC) defeated Sacramento State (21-22, 9-10 WAC) in the opening game of the series in Sacramento with a 4-3 final in 14 innings.
A competitive back and forth Game 1 saw the Texans take the board first but the biggest lead for either team sat at one run throughout the duration of the game. A six-inning scoring drought called for 14 innings before senior Cris Enriquez sealed the deal for the visitors.
Piercen McElyea got the start for the Texans with 4.0 innings on the mound, giving up a couple of runs on a pair of hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Freshman Braydon Risley (W, 2-4) earned his second win with 3.0 innings on the bump, giving up no runs on two hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
Evan Gibbons started on the bump for the Hornets with 6.1 innings pitched, giving up three runs on four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. Cooper Rons (L, 4-3) took the loss after 1.1 innings on the mound, giving up one run on one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
The Texans ended the evening with four runs on six hits. Enriquez led the Texan offense with a solo home run and three RBI. Mason Hammonds and Sergio Guerra each contributed doubles for the Purple and White. Throughout the 14-inning matchup, 11 runners were left on base for the Texans.
Sacramento State finished the game with three runs on seven hits with a solo home run to lead the offense. The Hornets also left 11 runners stranded throughout the nightcap.
Tarleton State drew first blood with a solo home run from Enriquez in the top of the second to take the lead for the visitors.
In the Hornets’ half of the inning, a pair of runs made it a one-run ball game with Sacramento State in the lead. A couple of RBI singles from the guys in green put the home team ahead at 2-1.
The top of the sixth saw the Texans tie things up at 2-2 as a leadoff double from Hammonds set things up nicely, as an RBI single from Enriquez made room for the Tarleton State third baseman to come home.
The Purple and White retook the lead in the top of the seventh with a solo run. Morrison reached on an error as the leadoff and stole second. The Texans’ catcher, Guerra sent one down the left field line for an RBI double to see the visitors up, 3-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Hornets tallied a lone run as a solo homer tied up the game at 3-3.
The next six innings went scoreless, with a total of 14 runners left stranded between both teams including eight Texans and six Hornets.
Enriquez continued to carry the Tarleton State offense with an RBI single in the top of the 14th to end the scoring drought and put the Texans back in the lead that would ultimately result in a win for the visitors in their inaugural trip to Sacramento.
Game 2 is set to begin at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.
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