STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton baseball dominated both offensively and defensively on Friday night, defeating the New Mexico State Aggies 7-1 at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.
 
The Texans (19-16, 4-10 WAC) posted seven runs on 14 hits, holding the Aggies (9-24, 7-12 WAC) to a lone run on eight hits. They earned their first WAC series opening win of the season and won their fourth out of the last five conference games.
 
First baseman Jack Wagner and right-handed pitcher Hunter Day were the story of the night for Tarleton. Day tossed 7.0 innings allowing a lone run on five hits. He walked none and struck out four. Wagner, the reigning WAC hitter of the week, was 3-4 at the plate with two triples and a two-run home run. He finished with three RBI.
 
Tarleton jumped on the Aggies early with three runs in the first inning. Mason Hammonds led the Texans off with a double down the left field line and Trace Morrison hit him in with an RBI single to left center field in the next at bat. Wagner hit one of his two triples off the left field wall to score Morrison from second, and Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo singled through the left side of the defense to score Wagner making it 3-0.
 
Wagner's second triple of the night came in the bottom of the fifth which was followed up by Cris Enriquez hitting an RBI double to right field that scored Wagner and made it 4-1.
 
The Texans used another big inning in the sixth, plating three more. Morrison hit an RBI single to score Brandon Howell and Wagner launched his 11th home run this season to make it 7-1.
 
Morrison finished 3-5, Alec Williams was 2-4 and Hammonds was 2-5 to lead Tarleton offensively.
 
Zach Poe and Zane Badmaev each pitched an inning in relief of Day with both keeping the Aggies off the board. Poe struck out two consecutive batters in the eighth with the bases loaded to hold the Aggies off the board.
 
The Texans will look to clinch the series over NM State in game two Saturday, with first pitch on WACInternational.tv set for 3 p.m. CT.