Box Score, Game 1
Box Score, Game 2
Box Score, Game 3
Box Score, Game 4
ADA, Okla. – Tarleton went into its weekend series with East Central averaging just 4.2 runs a game, but with the addition of Junnior Dishmey and Nathan Hille back in the line-up, the Texans reversed that trend and exploded for 55 runs to sweep a four-game set from the Tigers at Tiger Field on Friday and Saturday.
The Texans opened the series with a 9-3 win while scattering 11 hits over seven innings. In his first game back since Feb. 7, Dishmey tallied a pair of singles, stole a base and had two runs batted in on the day. Hille returned to the line-up for the first time since Feb. 14, and he did not disappoint either as he went 2-for-3 at the plate and driving in a pair of runs. Andrew Kapple was 2-for-3 as well and had an RBI.
Ryan Salt (2-2) earned his second complete-game-win and third complete game overall on the season working seven full innings and giving up just three runs on four hits. He walked two batters and struck out a pair as well. ECU's Will Grimes (0-3) earned a complete game as well, but was saddled with the loss giving up all nine runs on 11 hits and walking three batters.
Tarleton's offensive explosion didn't stop there as the Texans set a season-high in runs scored with a 23-17 win over the Tigers. Pitching and defense was an issue for the Texans in the nightcap as they gave up the second-most runs to a team on the year, but Tarleton scattered 16 hits on the night to come away with the six-run victory.
Tarleton trailed 4-1 after two innings, but took an 11-4 lead in the top of the third in an inning where the Texans scored 10 runs on four hits, an error and six walks that included four beaned batters. Tarleton went on to score three more runs in the fifth, a run in the sixth and added a five-spot in the seventh to take a 20-9 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. The five run seventh proved to be key as Tarleton's pitching hit a wall in the bottom frame, allowing eight runs on five hits. After coming in to relieve Chris Pearson on the mound, Landon McCall was finally able to record the third out and get the Texans out of the inning.
Still leading 20-17, Tarleton tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the ninth and it was more than enough as Nathan Lewis recorded a three-up-three-down bottom of the ninth to give Tarleton its first two-game sweep since the Texans won two against Colorado Christian in the season-opening series.
Dishmey again packed a punch offensively for the Texans, going 4-for-5 at the plate and driving in three runs. Zane Hensley was just 2-for-5 at the plate, but his two hits drove in a team-high five runs on the night. Heath Petty followed, driving in four runs on the evening.
Kenneth Stockton (3-1) picked up his team-leading third win on the season, working 5.2 innings and allowing nine runs (four earned) on six hits. He walked four and struck out two. Jacob Gammons (0-2) picked up the loss for the Tigers, allowing 10 runs on six hits. ECU's bullpen combined to give up the remaining 13 runs on 10 hits and five walks.
Tarleton picked up just where they left off on Friday, scoring four runs in the first inning of Saturday's game one. The Texans tacked on a run in the third and sixth before bringing in another four more runs in the seventh and come away with a 10-2 win.
Tim Rainey went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored three runs, while Andy Wolfe collected a pair of hits and had five RBI. Hille improved on what was already an impressive Friday, going 3-for-4 at the plate and driving in a pair of runs.
Jake Sowell (2-1) recorded his first complete game of the season going the full seven innings and allowing just the two runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out four. J.P. O'Leary (1-2) was hit with loss for the home team. He too had a complete game, working all seven innings and allowing 10 runs on six hits.
The Texans pushed across 13 runs in the series finale on Saturday and came away with the four-game sweep over the Tigers for the second consecutive year. Tarleton has now won nine straight games and 10 of the last 12 over ECU.
Mark Jeffery's RBI-double in the top of the first inning got things going for the Texans in the second game of the double-dip. Rainey, Charlie Ulbricht and Petty each drove in runs with their base-knocks in the first inning as well and Tarleton took an early 5-0 lead while never looking back.
Tarleton led by 10 runs after the seventh inning and the game was then called due to the 10-run rule.
Ulbricht finished the game with a team-high four hits. He scored three runs and added another RBI later in the game to give him three on the day. Rainey had three hits in five plate appearances and scored three runs as well. Chris Casazza collected three hits in the game including a solo-home run off ECU's Kyle McCormick in the top of the sixth inning. It was his only RBI on the day, but the junior first baseman came around to score three runs as well.
Brandon Van Riper (1-2) earned his first win as a Texan, going five full innings and allowing just two runs on five hits. He walked five but still managed to record four strikeouts. Andy Pendleton (2-2) took the loss on the day. He gave up eight runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings of work.
The Texans averaged 13.7 runs a game – nearly 8.5 more runs than the team came into the weekend scoring. Tarleton pounded out 57 hits on the weekend and added .027 points to its overall batting average and is now hitting .301 as team. The Texans added an impressive .044 points to its team slugging percentage as well and finish the weekend with a .425 slugging average.
Tarleton improved to 11-13 overall on the season and pull to within two game of .500 since the team was 5-7 back on Feb. 20. Tarleton is 8-12 in Lone Star Conference games. ECU drops to 3-13 overall and 3-11 in conference action. The Tigers losing streak is now at eight games as the team heads into a non-conference doubleheader with Arkansas-Fort Smith on Tuesday.
Tarleton returns to the diamond this Tuesday, March 16, as well when the team travels to San Antonio to take on Incarnate Word in non-conference action. First-pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Sullivan Field on the UIW campus.
