Box Score - Photo Gallery
 
KINGSVILLE – The Tarleton State Texans downed the Angelo State Rams 9-8 to move onto the championship game in the Lone Star Conference Baseball Championships at Nolan Ryan Field in Kingsville.
 
With the win, the Texans moved to 28-22 overall and are now just one win away from bringing home the school's first ever LSC Tournament Championship. This will mark the fourth championship game appearance for the Texans.
 
ASU would score the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning when JP Zapata led off the inning with a single and later scored on David Goggin's groundout, giving the Rams an early 1-0 lead.
 
For the second straight day, the Texans would not score a run over the course of the first three innings, but with two outs Tarleton would put up six unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead.
 
Rustin Thomas led off the inning reaching base on an error and then moved to second base on a single to center from Garrett Kilgore. Andrew Jacobi would reach base when Thomas was gunned down at third base and Dalton Week's did the same on a groundout to the ASU shortstop, which managed to get Jacobi out on the play. ASU's Jake Feckley beaned Luke Slentz to load the bases and then beaned Kevin Meredith as well, which allowed Kilgore to come home and score. Evan Robinson collected a run batted in following his bases loaded walk and
 
Alvaro Moreno would unload the bases with his bases-clearing double to make it a 5-1 game and he later scored on Jared Musgrove's single to right field. Moreno looked to be gunned down at home, but the collision at the plate managed to knock the ball out of Cameron Massengill's glove and Moreno touched the plate with his foot and was called safe to give Tarleton a 6-1 lead.
 
The five-run lead would not last long though, as ASU managed to drive in four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to pull within a run of the Texans, down 6-5. Texan starting pitcher allowed the first three batters to reach base and following Derek Tyner's run-scoring double, head coach Bryan Conger headed out to the mound and Gottardy was quickly replaced with Troyal Yosko.
 
Yosko managed to strike out the first batter he faced, but a single from Nehwon Norkeh brought home Tyner and the sophomore reliever would later commit an error and the Texans were unable to get out of the inning. The Rams would then score on a failed pickoff attempt before Goggin grounded out to end the inning.
 
The Rams would tie the game up at 6-6 just one inning later when an errant throw to first base from Robinson allowed Christian Summers to score from second base on the play. The Texans would counter though in the top of the sixth inning, scoring a pair of runs to take an 8-6 lead.
 
Following a three-up and three-down sixth inning, ASU's first three batters reached base in the seventh inning and two runs came home to score to tie the game up again, 8-8. With two on and two out, Reggie Rodriguez singled to left field and the runner at third base was held up, but the runner at second, Tyner, was already heading toward third base.
 
Dalton Weeks would throw home to Jared Musgrove and the senior catcher tossed it to Robinson, who tagged Tyner out on the play. Massengill was at third base and decided to come home, but after Robinson tagged out Tyner, he threw home and it was in time for Musgrove to tag out the runner for a double play and to get out of the inning.
 
Thomas singled to center field with one out in the top of the ninth and he would later move to third base on a single up the middle from Nick Gibert. With the bases loaded, Weeks managed to drive in Thomas on a sacrifice fly to give the Texans a 9-8 lead.
 
Garrett Kelly (W, 4-1) would give up a pair of singles to the ASU lineup, but managed to get out of the jam and record the final out to send the Texans to the championship game.
 
The Rams fell to 27-25 with the loss and will face West Texas A&M in an elimination game sometime this evening.
 
Immediately following the game, a tornado warning was issued and everyone, including the coaches and players of both ASU and WT were asked to remove themselves from the field and seek shelter. At the time of this release, the two teams had not taken the field.
 
The Texans will face the winner of the Buffs/Rams game in the championship game, which is scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday.
 
Live Stats and a live video feed can be found by clicking here, or the game will also be broadcast on the web at www.kxtr.net. The voice of the Texans, Casey Hogan, will have the call during tomorrow's championship game