Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CANYON – The Tarleton State baseball team split its series opening doubleheader with the No. 16 West Texas A&M Buffs, falling 11-5 in game one, but then winning the nightcap 7-4 Friday evening at Wilder Park in Canyon.
 
Garrett Kilgore went 3-for-4 at the plate and Kevin Meredith went 2-for-4 in game one, but it wasn't enough as the WT offense managed to score its 11 runs on 14 hits.
 
WT starting pitcher Dylan James (W, 8-2) gave up three runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings of work before Kyle Olason and Sam Ouellet combined to finish the final 2.2 innings of work and secure the victory for the home squad in game one.
 
The Buffs would take an early 2-0 before Meredith singled home Kilgore to cut the lead to just a run. WT came right back though with another pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning and after Tarleton struck for another run in the top of the fourth inning, the Buffs put up a three-spot to take a 7-2 lead.
 
WT would add another run in the fifth inning and drove in three more in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 11-4 lead. Tarleton would get two more runs in the top of the seventh inning on Andrew Jacobi's two-run home run, but Ouellet stopped the threat as he got the next three Texan hitters out to end the game.
 
Alvaro Moreno opened the second game with a walk and he later came around to score on a Jonathan Schmitz ground out to take an early 1-0 lead. WT responded though in the seond inning with a pair of runs to take a one run lead before the Texans took back the lead, up 3-2, after a two-run top of the third inning.
 
WT tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the third, but Tarleton put up a four-run spot in the top of the fifth inning and never looked back.
 
Texan starter Matt Herrick (ND) would give up just one more run, but Troyal Yosko (W, 1-2) relieved him in the middle of the fifth inning and pitched 3.1 scoreless innings to earn the victory. Garrett Kelly would fan two batters and did not allow a hit in the ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.
 
The Texans moved to 23-21 overall with the split and 13-17 in Lone Star Conference play, while WT pushed its record to 32-14 and 20-11 in league play.
 
Earlier in the evening in LSC play, Eastern New Mexico won 21-3 over Cameron and moved one game back of the Texans in fourth place. Angelo State dropped Friday's game to Texas A&M-Kingsville, 2-1, which allowed Tarleton to move within a game of the Rams for third place in the conference.
 
The Texans and Buffs will closeout the series tomorrow in Canyon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Wilder Park.