STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State (28-15, 8-4 WAC) delivered a thrilling comeback on Sunday, erupting for seven runs in the eighth inning to rally past Utah Valley (15-28, 1-8 WAC), 13-9, at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex.
Utah Valley built an early lead with a seven-run third inning and later pushed its advantage to 9-3, but the Texans steadily chipped away. Brady Englett jump-started the comeback with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, while Rayner Heinrich added an RBI single in the seventh to bring Tarleton State within striking distance heading into the eighth.
The Texans’ offense took over in the decisive frame, scoring seven runs on four hits to flip the game. Jake Tatom drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk before Heinrich delivered a clutch two-RBI single to tie the game. Raphael Smeenk followed with an RBI walk to give Tarleton State its first lead since the second inning, and Sergio Guerra capped the rally with a two-RBI single to right center that extended the advantage.
Tarleton State finished with 15 hits in the win, led by Guerra, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI, and Heinrich, who collected two hits and drove in three runs. Slade McCloud also turned in a big day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a triple and a home run, while Englett added two hits, a home run, and two RBI.
On the mound, Karsen Davis earned the win in relief to improve to 5-0, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing no hits and keeping Utah Valley off the scoreboard during the late comeback push. Tai Phetluangsy closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the victory.
The Texans will travel to College Station for a midweek matchup against Texas A&M on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
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