ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Tarleton pounded No. 16 Henderson State 13-5 in the rubber game of the season-opening series against the Reddies to take two of three on the road.
  
A rough eighth inning turned things against Tarleton in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader as the Reddies plated three runs to take a game-winning advantage in Tarleton's first loss of the season.
 
After Henderson State got a run in each of the first two innings, Blain Bagley and Daniel Bogue combined to keep the Reddies off the board for the next 4.1 innings. Bagley drew the start and pitched the opening four frames of the game, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks with two strikeouts, before Bogue made his collegiate debut in the fifth and pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless work, surrendering only four walks.
 
Meanwhile, the Tarleton offense came to life in the sixth when a Landon Merka single and a Stacu Heinatz sacrifice bunt moved a runner into scoring position with one away. Alec Humphreys drove Merka home with an RBI single to cut the Reddie lead in half at 2-1. Merka finished 2-3 at the dish while he, Humphreys, and Matt Olive each had multi-hit efforts at the plate.
 
After a scoreless seventh, Humphreys did the damage again as the senior drove home Hunter Seales, who reached on a hit by pitch, with an RBI double. Humphreys finished the game 2-4 with both RBIs.
 
Henderson State broke things open in the eighth with two RBI singles and a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-2 before a scoreless ninth ended the game. Troyal Yosko took the loss after pitching 1.1 innings allowing two runs on two hits. Hunter Houston record the final out after allowing the final run on a hit and two walks.
 
Elijah Christenson provided a ninth-inning, pinch-hit single to round out the eight-hit effort for Tarleton in the game.
  
In the rubber game, Tarleton took advantage of its opportunities – drawing seven walks, getting hit by five pitches and reaching on three Reddie errors – to thump Henderson State 13-5 in the series finale.
 
The opportunities came early and often for the Texans as two of the first three batters reached on errors, but Tarleton went to work with two outs beginning with a walk from Seales to load the bases. Forrest Perron, in his first game with Tarleton, collected his first RBI as a Texan on a hit by pitch before Merka unloaded the bases with a 3-RBI double to break open a four-run first inning for Tarleton.
 
Tarleton got two more in the top of the third on Hunter Seales' second home run of the series – a two-run shot that brought home Christenson – to stave off Henderson's offense, who also put up three runs in the first three innings to make Tarleton's lead 6-3 after three.
 
The big inning of the weekend came in the top of the fourth when Tarleton plated six runs on five hits and an error. Humphreys started it off with his first home run of the season to lead off the inning before Tarleton got RBI singles from Seales and Heinatz, an RBI fielder's choice from Perron, an RBI triple from Merka, and an unearned run on an error. Tarleton added its final run in the top of the fifth on a wild pitch that plated Jake Hasbrouck for the 13^th run of the game.
 
Henderson State scored two more in the sixth to bring the game to its final score, but Jacob French – in his first action since the 2014 season due to injury – shut the door with a fly out, two singles, and a pair of strikeouts.
 
Tarleton managed seven hits in the game, including two-hit performances from Humphreys, Seales, and Merka, while Heintaz rounded out of the offense. Of the 11 total RBIs, nine came from Seales (3), Perron (2), and Merka (4).
 
Starter Zach Freeman earned the win in his Tarleton debut, throwing the first three innings of work allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts. Cody Nitson, a redshirt freshman from Caddo Mills making his Tarleton debut, threw the next two innings allowing two runs on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Alex Gagne and French threw one inning of scoreless relief each to round out the effort from the mound.
 
For the weekend, Landon Merka led the way with a .556 batting average and five RBIs while Heinatz (.444), Humphreys (.429), and Seales (.400) each topped .400 averages for the weekend with 10 combined RBI.
 
Tarleton will travel to Houston next weekend for the annual Winter Invitational at Minute Maid Park, beginning Friday at 10 a.m. against Arkansas-Monticello.