STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton baseball shut out the first place Sam Houston Bearkats, 4-0, on Thursday night to open the Western Athletic Conference series at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.
 
The Texans (25-25, 9-17 WAC) shut out the Bearkats (32-21, 21-7 WAC), making it the first time this season that Sam Houston was held without a run.
 
The win over the Bearkats was Tarleton's first in the D1 era as they went 0-6 last season vs. the Kats.
 
Hunter Day (W, 6-2) picked up his sixth win of the season as he tossed 6.1 shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out three and walking two.
 
Zach Poe threw 1.2 innings of relief, allowing no runs, no hits and striking out two. Zane Badmaev threw the ninth and struck out two allowing a lone hit to close things out.
 
Tarleton claimed a 2-0 lead off the bat in the first inning. They moved to 14-1 on the season when leading after the first inning.
 
Trace Morrison and Jack Wagner got on consecutively with singles. In the next at bat, Cris Enriquez laced a ball down the right field line, good for a two-run double to put the Texans up by two.
 
The Texans scored two more in the fourth to go up 4-0. Alec Williams and Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo hit back-to-back solo home runs, Williams to right field and Choy Foo to left, to extend the lead.
 
Sam Houston threatened in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with just one out. Poe managed to get out of the inning as he forced two straight infield groundouts.
 
Game two of the series is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday and will stream on ESPN+.