Box Score SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 18-ranked Tarleton Texans downed Angelo State 5-4 in the first game of a four-game set at Foster Field in San Angelo on Friday.

ASU took a quick 1-0 lead on Quinton McKinnon's home run in the fourth inning, but the Texans battled back with a three-run fifth inning to take a two-run lead.

Rustin Thomas was hit by a pitch and he then moved to third base on Fola Lajide's infield single. Jared Musgrove walked and then Evan Robinson singled home Thomas and Lajide to make it a 2-1 game. Noah Ringenberger grounded out to second base on the next at bat, but he was able to drive home Musgrove on the play to take a two-run lead.
 
Ryan Small was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning and he later scored on a double from Thomas to make it a 4-1 game.
 
ASU pulled within a run of the Texans with a two-run seventh inning, but Tarleton came back to make it a 5-3 game when Small scored in the Texan eighth inning.
 
Tarleton's Britt Robertshaw (S, 3) shutdown the Rams in the ninth inning to give Tarleton another Lone Star Conference win and move to 24-11-1 overall and 13-4 in the LSC. ASU fell to 25-14 and 9-8 in conference play.
 
Matt Buckmaster (6-2) picked up his team-leading sixth win of the season giving up three runs on eight of his in 6.1 innings of work. He struck out five in his 27 batters faced.
 
The Texans and Rams will resume the series on Saturday with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. at Foster Field.