NATCHITOCHES – Tarleton dominated game one of the three-game series against Northwestern State behind a complete game two-hit shutout by Alex Pinedo.
 
Pinedo was in a groove on the mound all night, striking out seven Demons and never allowing a runner past second base. He only walked one batter, which came in the bottom of the ninth before striking out the next batter and getting a 5-4-3 double play to end the game in convincing fashion.
 
Pinedo gave up a leadoff double to start the game but settled in from there. He retired the next 11 Northwestern State hitters, including striking out the side in the third inning and had a stretch of four straight strikeouts. Of the seven strikeouts, six were swinging, showcasing just how in control Pinedo was on the mound.
 
The redshirt senior from El Paso retired the side in order in five of the nine innings and got a pair of double play ground balls. For the game, Pinedo faced one over the minimum with 28 batters, and got 10 fly outs and six ground outs.
 
"It was great to see us bounce back after a tough extra-inning loss at Texas A&M on Wednesday," said head coach Aaron Meade. "Alex did a phenomenal job tonight. He competed in the zone with three pitches all night long. Offensively, we put together some really good at-bats against a quality starter for Northwestern State, which allowed us to scratch a few runs across in the early innings."
 
Other notable Texan's tonight were Tyler Fowler, who led the Texans with two hits, including the game's first run on an RBI single that scored Spencer Bloom in the third inning. The Texans provided Pinedo with insurance runs in the fourth when Blake Burns doubled with one out to left to score Corey Young. Jordan Parker added the third run of the game on an RBI groundout.
 
The Texans put together five hits on the night, led by Fowler's 2-for-4 outing. London Green and Jordan Parker also added singles for the Texans with Burns' double resulting in the only extra-base hit.
 
The Texans will play the final two games of the series tomorrow in a doubleheader consisting of two nine inning games beginning at 12 p.m. in Natchitoches.