- Box Score - Game 1
- Box Score - Game 2

STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton baseball team defeated East Central 3-0 in game one behind the stellar pitching of Miguel Ramirez and crushed the Tigers with 18 hits in game two for an 11-1 victory.

Entering the game, the Texans were on an eight game winning streak and facing a team that they had defeated 8-5 one day earlier.

Tarleton got on the board first with a pair of runs in the second inning, courtesy of a two-run single by designated hitter Mark Jeffery that scored second baseman Landon McCall and leftfielder Ethan Stuckly.

The Texans were silent the next two innings, but managed to add a run in the bottom of the sixth. Rightfielder Chris Casazza reached base on an error and advanced to second on the play. After moving to third on a groundout, Casazza was then driven in by shortstop Travis Hayes, who roped a single to rightfield.

That would be all the runs Tarleton would need however after blanking ECU's offense.

Senior starter Miguel Ramirez got the nod for Tarleton and was himself coming off an outstanding week in which he was named LSC Pitcher of the Week. Not surprisingly, he pitched even better than before with this third complete game and second shutout of the year.

Ramirez (4-0) tossed a gem of a game with seven shutout innings. The senior ace for Tarleton struck out 10 batters and gave up just a single hit in the game, while walking none. ECU only managed one base runner all game.

Jeffery led the way offensively with a 2-for-3 day and two RBI's, while Hayes chipped in the other RBI for the Texans. 

As a team, Tarleton recorded seven hits compared to just two strikeouts.

Head coach Bryan Conger discussed Ramirez's performance at the end of the day.

“Miguel was terrific for us again,” said Conger. “He did a really nice job of getting ahead in the count, then mixing his pitches. He is a work-horse for us on the mound and has been outstanding all year.”

Conger also talked about Jeffery's outstanding day at the plate, as well as the rest of the team.

“Jeffery is swinging the bat well,” said Conger. “He put together some quality at-bats. The rest of the guys did better than the stats show. We had some well-hit balls, but the strong winds held hits up in the air long enough for the defense to make a play.”

The second game of the doubleheader was once again all Tarleton as the Texans absolutely crushed the Tiger pitching staff for 11 runs on 18 hits.

East Central did manage to start the scoring in game two with an RBI single by their leading-hitter, Dylan Mascarenas.

Unfortunately for the Tigers and fortunately for the Texans, that would be the only run for ECU all game.

Tarleton got on the board in the bottom of the second with authority when they exploded for four runs.

Shortstop Nathan Hille singled to get things going for the Texans, and was followed by back-to-back singles by catcher Andrew Kapple and second baseman Landon McCall. Dishmey plated Hille when his line drive was misplayed by the ECU leftfielder.

Leftfielder Ethan Stuckly struck next for Tarleton with a two-run single up the middle. 

The Texans didn't stop there though with Jeffery adding an RBI single to centerfield.

Tarleton took the third inning off before scoring a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth and sixth.

Stuckly was unstoppable with RBI singles in the fourth and fifth innings, while Hille added an RBI single in the fifth and a single in the sixth that resulted in an unearned run. Centerfielder Tim Rainey also recorded an RBI single in the sixth inning.

The Texans capped off their scoring in the eighth and ended the game when pinch hitter Tim Barry plated run No. 10 and Dishmey singled in run No. 11. With that Tarleton picked up its second 10-run rule victory in the last seven days.

Stuckly led the offense with four RBI's in his 3-for-4 outing, while Hille went 4-for-5, with an RBI and three runs scored.

Dishmey added two RBI's, with Jeffery, Rainey and Barry contributing the others.

As a team, Tarleton recorded a new-season high with 18 hits. They also had 11 batters reach base, 10 batters hit safely, and played 18 guys.

The Texan pitching staff combined to hold ECU to just one run on five hits and only walking three.

Brandon Van Riper (1-1) got the start for Tarleton and earned the victory after five innings of work. He gave up the lone Tiger run on just three hits.

Jake Sowell came in to relieve Van Riper and was just as effective, tossing two shutout innings. Brandyn Greer closed the game out with a perfect eighth, picking up two strikeouts.

Joey Pavlovich (1-2) was saddled with the loss for the Tigers after getting roughed up for seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings on the mound.

Conger was proud of his team's performance after the second game.

“Brandon (Van Riper) was more consistent for us,” said Conger. “He showed flashes of what he is capable of and when he puts it all together, he makes this team a lot better. Offensively, Stuckly is starting to heat up and led us today with four RBI's. From top to bottom, our guys stuck to the game plan.”

The Texans return to action Tuesday when they host the rematch versus St. Mary's.   Tarleton defeated the No. 15 Rattlers in the season opener down in San Antonio.

Looking forward, Tarleton has high expectations after getting off to the best start in program history with a 14-2 record.

“Our success so far this season is a sign of the work-ethic of our seniors,” said Conger. “This team is very methodical in how they approach the game. They are a very consistent group, so we are never too high or too low.”

Be sure to check back at TarletonSports.com for further information and details regarding the 2011 Texan baseball season.