Box Score STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton State baseball team opened Lone Star Conference play with a two-game sweep over Eastern New Mexico on Friday, downing the Greyhounds 10-4 in game one and 4-3 in the nightcap.
 
The Texans moved to 11-3 overall and are 2-0 in league play, while ENMU dropped to 10-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
 
The Texans used a five-run second inning to take a four-run lead over the Greyhounds in game one and Tarleton never looked back. Down 1-0, Jared Musgrove led off the second inning with a single to center field and he later scored on a run-scoring double from Andrew Jacobi to notch thing ups 1-1.
 
Evan Robinson later drove in a run on a bunt single and Kevin Meredith followed with a ground out, but it managed to bring home Luke Slentz, who reached base earlier in the inning on a hit-by-pitch. Rustin Thomas then hit a two-run bomb over the left field fence to make it a 5-1 game.
 
The Texans added a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning on Jacobi's two-run home run. ENMU added a run in the top of the fourth, but Tarleton countered with another pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 9-2 lead.
 
The Greyhounds scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning before Jacobi drove in his four RBI in the bottom of the frame to make it a 10-4 game. Garrett Kelly worked the final two innings in relief of starter Jacob French, mowing down the six matters he faced to secure the six-run victory.
 
French (W, 4-0) picked up the win giving up the four runs on just five hits while striking out five. ENMU's Ben Monticello (L, 3-1) picked up his first loss of the season, yielding all 10 runs on just nine hits in game one.
 
Jacobi finished 3-for-4 at the dish in game one, while Musgrove registered a 3-for-3 effort at the plate.
 
Tarleton's Garrett Kilgore drove in a run during the bottom of the first inning in game two to give the Texans a quick 1-0 lead and the home squad managed to put up a three-spot in the bottom of fourth to take a 4-0 lead.
 
Alvaro Moreno led off the fourth inning with a single and he later moved to second on a stolen base before advancing to third base on a balk. Nick Gibert grounded out to the left side of the infield, but Moreno scored on the play and Jonathan Schmitz followed with a single to left. Noel Navarez doubled down the left field line to score Schmitz and he later scored on a run-scoring single from Luke Slentz
 
The Greyhounds put up a run in the fifth inning on a RBI-single from Brett Ackerman and then pulled within a run of the Texans with a two-run eighth inning, making it a 4-3 game.
 
ENMU's Blake Cooper hit a two-run home run in the inning, but Ethan Lenz, who had entered the game in relief of Troyal Yosko, managed to get the next batter out to end the inning. Lenz (S, 5) then worked a three-up and three-down ninth inning to record his fifth save of the season and secure the one-run win for the Texans.
 
Thomas and Schmitz led the Texans offensively in game two as both players went 2-for-4 in Friday's final game of the doubleheader.
 
Colton Burleson (W, 2-2) picked up the win in game two, giving up just one run on five hits while striking out a pair of ENMU batters.
 
Rusty Edwards (L, 3-1) became the second starting Greyhound pitcher to record his first loss of the season after giving up all four runs on six hits in his six full innings of work.
 
The Texans and Greyhounds will close out the series tomorrow with another twin-bill, with the first pitch in game one set to begin at 1 p.m.