LAWTON, Okla. – It only took Tarleton State one game into this weekend's series to secure a milestone for head coach
Bryan Conger as the Texans delivered a 3-1 win over the Aggies for the 200
th career win for the Tarleton skipper.
Being a pitching-minded coach and a former hurler himself, it seems only fitting that Conger's milestone come on the right end of a pitcher's duel – which Tarleton got from
Matt Herrick,
Seth Hallmark,
Troyal Yosko and
Hunter Houston.
Tarleton got on the board first in the second inning when
Kevin Meredith led off the inning with a triple to right field. The senior came in to score on a groundout by
Landon Merka in the next at bat to take a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile,
Matt Herrick kept the Aggies in check by throwing five shutout innings to start the game before Cameron broke through in the sixth with an RBI single to tie the game. Herrick bounced back to get a pop up to second base and strand a pair of runners in the bottom of the sixth.
The Texan offense came to Herrick's aid in the ensuing half inning when
Matt Olive laced a single up the middle to plate Merka, who doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a fly ball, for the go-ahead run. Tarleton added an insurance run on an RBI double from
Jonathan Schmitz to plate Olive for a 3-1 lead.
Herrick got a strikeout and hit a batter to end his afternoon after 6.1 innings, over which he allowed just one run on four hits with two walks while striking out six. After Hallmark walked the only two batters he faced, Yosko came in and got back-to-back swinging strikeouts to end the threat and keep the Texans on top after seven.
Yosko set the Aggies down in order on three grounders in the eight to bridge the gap to Houston, who struck out two en route to a three-up, three-down ninth inning and his sixth save of the season.
Tarleton tallied eight hits for the game, including two each from Schmitz and
Alec Humphreys.
Zach Fleet, Meredith, Merka and Olive had the rest of the offense for the Texans.
Conger and the Texans will return to action against Cameron, weather permitting, for the series-finale doubleheader tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. from McCord Field in Lawton.
