STEPHENVILLE, Texas –Tarleton first baseman
Jack Wagner broke a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning as he lifted a ball up and over the left field wall for a walk-off home run as Tarleton escaped with a 8-7 victory over Incarnate Word on Sunday afternoon.
UIW (10-10) brought home three runs in the ninth inning to knot the game up at seven all, but Wagner's home run eliminated the Cardinal comeback and allowed Tarleton (14-6) to complete the series sweep of UIW. The Texans went 4-0 vs. UIW this season.
Tarleton starting pitcher
Hunter Day had an impressive day on the mound, throwing 7.0 innings allowing just two runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one. The Cardinals scratched across a run in the first inning and one in the seventh, but that was they all managed with Day throwing.
The Texans led 6-2 after scoring two in the seventh inning as
Jaime Perez singled through the left side of the UIW defense to score two Texans.
UIW rallied to plate two in the eighth off a Texan fielding error, making it 6-4. Tarleton answered back in the bottom of the eighth as
Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo hit an infield single to score
Kooper Shook and make it 7-4. The Cardinals scored one run on a wild pitch and brought home the other two on a two-run single from Rey Mendoza in the ninth, tying the game at seven.
Shook led the Texans on offense as he had three hits, two doubles and a single, and two RBI. Perez had a hit and two RBI,
Jordan Andrade had two hits and a run scored,
Trace Morrison added two hits, two stolen bases and an RBI and
Mason Hammonds finished with two hits.
Morrison hit an RBI single to right-center field to score
Cole Miears in the sixth. Morrison later stole third and advanced home on a throwing error from the UIW catcher to make it a 4-1 lead for the Texans.
Ryan Jacobs (W, 1-0) picked up the win as he tossed the ninth inning, allowing one hit.
Tarleton will head to Arlington on Tuesday as they take on UTA at Clay Gould Ballpark at 6:30 p.m. Although UTA is a conference foe, the game will not count towards the WAC standings as it was scheduled prior to the Mavericks joining the conference. The game will be streamed on WACInternational.tv