SAN ANTONIO – Tarleton State Baseball (15-19) took down the UIW Cardinals (15-21), winning 12-6 on Wednesday afternoon at Sullivan Field.
This marked the second consecutive win for the Purple and White. Tarleton State registered 18 hits opposed to the Cardinals’ 13. Each bullpen tallied seven strikeouts apiece.
Despite a single from Braden Gostisha in the first inning, the Texans remained scoreless while UIW got on the board first thanks to an RBI single from Jake Weaver. The Texans responded immediately in the second inning with a lead-off single from Trace Morrison, followed by an RBI from Lane Brewster that scored Morrison, tying the game up at 1-1.
Aden Lucas came in to pitch the second inning for the Texans and put together a scoreless stanza that included a 6-4-3 double play ball. In the top of the third inning, Morrison launched his fourth home run of the year, scoring himself and Sergio Guerra to give Tarleton State their first lead of the ballgame.
The game remained at 3-1 until the bottom of the fourth frame when Tyler Cowan scored Weaver via a sacrifice fly, cutting the Texans’ lead to just one run. In the top of the fifth inning, Guerra blasted a no-doubter to left field for his second home run in the last two games. Following Wednesday’s game, the senior now has 14 extra-base hits on the season.
Brendon Carter and Ryan Beaird held the Cardinals scoreless during the fifth and sixth innings, allowing the Purple and White to maintain their momentum. Hunter Smith came in to pinch hit during the top of the seventh and immediately made an impact by hitting a lead-off home run. Smith’s solo shot marked his second consecutive game with a homer as well, giving the Texans a 5-2 lead. Tarleton State continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal, tacking on two more runs thanks to an RBI bunt single from Ike Shirey and a sacrifice fly from Tyson Drake.
Karsen Davis relieved Beaird of his duties and held UIW to no runs in the seventh frame. Guerra continued his hot streak in the top of the eighth with an RBI double that drove in Smith. Jaime Perez notched a single that scored Guerra, followed by a double from Brewster that brought in Perez and gave the Purple and White a 10-2 advantage.
The Cardinals scratched off a run thanks to an RBI single from Thomas Lyssy. Tarleton State did not let this go unanswered, putting up four hits and two runs to set the tone in the ninth inning. Slade McCloud started things off with a single up the middle, followed by a double from Carson Lorch that put both runners in scoring position. The two infielders were soon brought in by a pair of RBIs from Smith and Morrison, propelling the Texans to a 12-3 lead.
Despite a three-run ninth inning from UIW, Tarleton State emerged victorious with a 12-6 win to complete the season sweep. The Purple and White will return home to Stephenville this weekend when they take on the UT Arlington Mavericks at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.
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