STEPHENVILLE – Senior day suffered a sour ending Saturday afternoon as Tarleton dropped the series opener to Texas A&M-Kingsville 7-5 at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.
 
The Javelinas jumped out to a quick start with two runs on three hits in the first inning off of Tarleton starter, Jacob French. But the senior right-hander from Kingwood settled down and battled back to deliver a quality start for the Texans.
 
French threw six innings and allowed three runs – only two earned – on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. When he left, Tarleton held a 5-3 advantage in the game.
 
The Texan offense came to French's relief in the fourth inning when Landon Merka's dribbler up the third base line turned into an error-laden two-run three-bagger that brought home Hunter Seales and Garret Kizer to tie the game. Zach Fleet doubled home Merka with a hustling double into left field and, after a wild pitch sent him to third, Fleet came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Landon Thompson for a 4-2 Texan advantage.
 
After the Javelinas scored an unearned run in the ensuing half inning, Tarleton answered with its final run of the game when Jake Hasbrouck doubled home Forrest Perron with an opposite-field double to put Tarleton back on top by two.
 
Kingsville took the lead in the seventh on a grand slam home run, but tough luck double plays in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings limited Tarleton's rally efforts.
 
Tarleton had nine base hits in the game, including two-hit performances from Alec Humphreys and Jake Hasbrouck. Perron, Kizer, Merka, Fleet, and Stacy Heinatz had the rest of Tarleton's hits.
 
The Texans will play their final home games of the year tomorrow afternoon with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against the Javelinas at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.