Box Score STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Colten Boothe, Rustin Thomas and Ryan Small each hit home runs as the No. 28-ranked Tarleton Texans defeated the Incarnate Word Cardinals 11-3 in Lone Star Conference play at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex in Stephenville on Sunday.
 
The Texans improved to 23-11-1 overall and 12-4 in the LSC as Tarleton took the series from the Cardinals 3-1. UIW dropped to 21-14 overall and 7-9 in conference play.
 
Tarleton, who scored at least one run in all but one inning on the day, jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Nico Moran singled and later scored on a passed ball. The Texans later extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning on a RBI-single from Jared Musgrove and a sacrifice bunt from Evan Robinson.
 
The Cardinals posted its first two runs of the day in the third inning on Zach Russell's two-run blast to deep center field. Tarleton got those runs back though in the bottom of the inning with home runs from Boothe and Thomas. Boothe's dinger was his fifth of the season, while Thomas connected on his third of the year.
 
UIW tacked on its last run in the fifth inning as Derrick Walls singled and later scored on a RBI-single from John Zule. Again, Tarleton got that run back in the bottom half of the frame on a RBI-double from Thomas that scored Boothe on the play.
 
The Texans added another run in the sixth inning with a run-scoring single from Noah Ringenberger and then put up three more runs in the seventh to put the Texans on top 10-3. Tarleton scored a run after opening the frame with three-straight hits and Robinson drove in his second run of the game with another sacrifice bunt. Musgrove, who singled earlier in the inning, later scored when the Cardinals failed to get Ringerberger out on a throwing error.
 
Small got around on a pitch earlier in the game, but the ball found its way to the left of the left field foul pole. He made up for that miss in the bottom of the eighth inning as he connected on his second home run of the season, getting the ball this time inside the foul pole out in left field that gave Tarleton an 11-3 lead.
 
Garrett Kelly (4-2) picked up the win for the Texans in relief. He allowed just one run in his 4.0 innings of work and fanned a game-high four batters. Troyal Yosko (ND) got the start for the Texans on Sunday and he gave up just two runs on six hits in three full innings of work. Britt Robertshaw allowed just one hit in the two final innings of the game.
 
Dylan Boss (4-4) was roughed up by Tarleton's offense for the second time in the series, as he gave up two of Tarleton's three home runs today. He was on the mound when Alvaro Moreno hit a grand slam against the Cardinals on Friday. Boss gave up five runs on just four hits on Sunday in 3.0 innings.
 
The Texans will break from LSC play on Wednesday, Apr. 10, hosting a mid-week non-conference game against #5/#12 St. Mary's. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. in Stephenville.