HOUSTON – Highlighted by a seven-run fifth inning, Tarleton State exploded for 15 runs in the season opener Thursday afternoon to defeat Winona State 15-2 in the first game of the Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park.
 
This marked the fourth time in the new era of Tarleton Baseball – which dates back to 1988 when the university reinstated the program – that the Texans have opened the season with at least 15 runs in a game. Tarleton scored 17 to open the 1990 and 16 against Winona State last season as well as another 15-run effort to start the 1991 campaign.
 
The teams were in a deadlocked contest over the first two innings as Tarleton's opening-day starter, Matt Herrick, kept the Warriors in check.
 
Tarleton's offense came to life in the top of the third when Brandon Villenueve ripped a single into left field for his first hit and RBI as a Texan to bring home Landon Merka for the game's first run.
 
The Texans weren't done, however, as Jonathan Schmitz followed up with an RBI single down the right field line to plate Matt Olive and Villenueve put Tarleton up 3-0 after trotting home on a Kevin Meredith sacrifice fly.
 
After the game stayed at 3-0 over the next two half-innings, Winona State cut into the Tarleton lead with its only two runs of the game on an RBI single and an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Tarleton pulled away in the top of the fifth, starting with a 2-RBI double from Meredith down the left field line to score Villenueve and Olive. Tarleton scored the next three on an RBI groundout and back-to-back bases loaded walks by Merka and Olive before the final two runs of the inning came across on a two-run error by the Warriors to put Tarleton up 10-2.
 
The Texans got RBIs from Peter McMahon, Evan Robinson and Alec Humphreys in the top of the sixth and another 2-RBI double from Meredith in the seventh to secure the early-finish victory for Tarleton.
 
Meredith and Schmitz each went 3-3 at the dish with Schmitz coming in to score three times and Meredith scoring twice and driving in five RBIs. McMahon, a redshirt freshman, also drove in a pair of RBIs to go along with his first hit and run in his collegiate debut. Robinson, Villenueve, Olive, Merka and Humphreys each tallied one hit on the day to round out the rest of Tarleton's 12 hits on the day.
 
The top six hitters in the Tarleton batting order – Humphreys, Merka, Olive, Villenueve, Schmitz and Meredith – combined for 10 hits, 10 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
 
Not to be outdone by his offense, Matt Herrick earned his second career win and first of the season by throwing five innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four.
 
Herrick was relieved in the sixth by Eythan Lenz, who worked a perfect inning with one strikeout. Troyal Yosko tossed a three-up, three-down seventh inning with a strikeout to finish off the afternoon for Tarleton.
 
The Texans will be back in action tomorrow in the second day of the Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park with a 2 p.m. tilt against St. Mary's. Kyle Gottardy is expected to be on the hill for Tarleton.