SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Tarleton baseball handled its business on Tuesday night, defeating the UIW Cardinals 5-3 at Daniel Sullivan Field.
The Texans (2-2) struck first and never relinquished their lead, using a three run sixth inning to push them to victory. They held the Cardinals (1-3) to just six hits.
Third baseman
Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo was impressive at the plate, finishing with three hits and two RBI. He added a solo home run that cleared the left field netting in the sixth, his first of the season.
Devon Patel got the nod as the Texans starting pitcher, his first start at Tarleton. He pitched 3.0 innings, striking out a career-high seven batters. He walked just one and allowed a lone hit.
Grant Garza (W, 1-0) earned the win after pitching 2.2 innings allowing no hits or walks and striking out five. He entered in the fifth with runners on first and second and one out and struck out the first two batters he saw to limit the damage.
The Texans got the scoring started in the second inning when Choy Foo hit a ground ball single up the middle to score
Jake Escalon who previously singled. Escalon, the designated hitter, added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI on the night.
Tarleton added another run in the fourth to make it 2-0 when second baseman
Cole Miears hit a solo home run to left field, his first hit as a Texan.
The Texans three runs in the sixth came courtesy of an Escalon double down the left field line that scored Miears. Escalon then scored on an
Alec Williams RBI ground out to first base and that was followed by Choy Foo's previously mentioned solo home run.
UIW added a run apiece in the eighth and ninth to make things interesting late.
In the eighth with the Cardinals trailing 5-1,
Matt Haley entered to pitch in his first appearance at Tarleton. He allowed back-to-back hits and an error in the next at bat allowed a Cardinal to reach home. Haley finished strong though, sitting the next two UIW hitters down swinging to escape the inning.
The ninth saw
Zach Poe (S, 1) pitch for the Texans. He started the inning off walking a batter and then allowing an RBI double to right center off the bat of Wilson Ehrhardt to make it 5-3. Poe then induced a flyout to right field, a ground out to himself and got a strikeout to close the game and earn his first save of the season.
Ehrhardt led UIW with two hits and two RBI. Starting pitcher EJ Garcia (L, 0-1) was tagged with the loss after throwing 3.0 innings allowing two runs on four hits.
The Texans now look to their home opening series this weekend vs. Stonehill College. They kick things off Friday at 6 p.m. CT and then follow with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. CT Saturday. Sunday will close things out with first pitch set for 2 p.m.
All four games will be streamed on ESPN+.
