Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The No. 28-ranked Tarleton Texans split Saturday's Lone Star Conference doubleheader with the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Saturday, falling 15-3 in game one before coming back to take the second game 7-1 at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.
 
The Texans moved to 22-11-1 overall on the season are now 11-4 in LSC play. The Cardinals are now 21-13 on the season and 7-8 in the LSC.
 
The Cardinals scored 15 runs on 16 hits in game one to even the series 1-1. The Texans committed two errors in the game as well, while coming up with just three runs in the contest.
 
UIW took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning and then added another run in the top of the third to push its lead to 2-0. Another two runs in the top of the fourth inning gave the visiting team a 4-0 advantage before Tarleton plated home its first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Nico Moran led off the inning with a walk and he later scored on Alvaro Moreno's ground out to the shortstop.
 
Tarleton's comeback was put in pause during the Cardinal's sixth inning as UIW tallied six runs in the inning to take a 10-1 lead. UIW then plated home another five runs in the top of the seventh inning to extend its lead to a 14-run advantage.
 
The Texans managed to drive in a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, finally getting to UIW's starting pitcher Alexis Garza.
 
Garza managed to get just one out after facing the first five batters of the seventh inning. Tarleton's Luke Slentz scored on passed ball and Chris Patton came home to score on a ground out from Jake Klauck.
 
Scott Burrner and Niko Gonzalez relieved Garza in the middle of the inning, and Gonzalez managed to record the final out to end the game.
 
Pete Perez (3-1) gave up four runs on five hits in his 4.0 innings of work as he suffered his first loss of the season. Just one of his four runs given up on the day was earned. Perez walked two and struck out two.
 
Troyal Yosko, Garrett Kelly, Landon Thompson, Kody Thiebaud, Tanner Ross, Joseph Rubalcaba each got to see action in the contest.
 
Garza (4-0) went 6.1 innings for the Cardinals in picking up the win. He yielded three runs on six hits and struck out three batters.
 
UIW scored its first run of the second contest just as they did in the first, with a pass ball to give them an early 1-0 lead.
 
UIW's Derrick Walls led off the game with a double off Tarleton starting pitcher Miguel Ramirez, and despite Walls moving to third and eventually scoring, Ramirez settled down to record 11 straight outs.
 
Colten Boothe drove in Tarleton's first two runs of the game, connecting on his fourth home run of the game in the bottom of the second inning and then driving in a run with a single in the third inning to give the Texans a 2-1 lead.
 
The Texans then plated home two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and another three runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-1 lead. Ramirez did the rest, shutting down the Cardinals and really only getting into trouble in the top of the sixth inning.
 
Ramirez gave up a leadoff single in the top of the sixth inning, but he got Walls to hit into a double play. UIW then got a single from Thomas Rinn before Ramirez walked the next two batters to load the bases. Following a mound visit from head coach Bryan Conger, Ramirez ended the Cardinal threat as he got Lucas to ground into a fielder's choice and get out of the inning.
 
Ramirez recorded his fourth 1-3-3 inning in the top of the seventh to secure the six-run win for the Texans and split the day's twinbill.
 
Evan Robinson plated home Tarleton's two runs in the fourth inning with his single to left field. Rustin Thomas and Fola Lajide both came around to score on the play.
 
Alvaro Moreno singled to leadoff the bottom half of the fifth inning and he then moved to third base when Boothe doubled to left field. Ryan Small drove them home with his 13^th double of the season and he later scored on a stolen base and throwing error by the UIW catcher.
 
Ramirez (5-1) picked up the complete-game win for the Texans allowing just one run on four hits. He walked two and fanned five UIW batters.
 
Jesus Berduzco (3-3) took the loss for the Cardinals in game two, allowing four runs on four hits in his 3.1 innings of work.
 
Boothe finished the game going 3-for-3 at the plate and coming within just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
 
The Texans and Cardinals will closeout the series on Sunday at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Stephenville.