STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Baseball (3-3) took the Kansas Jayhawks (6-0) down to the wire in both games of Saturday's slate but couldn't pull through, dropping both games of the doubleheader (6-4 and 7-5).
Game 1: Kansas 6, Tarleton State 4
The Purple and White opened their series against Kansas on Saturday at noon. Despite a three-hit effort from
Braden Gostisha, Tarleton State dropped a nailbiter to the Jayhawks during the opening game of Saturday's slate.
The Jayhawks put together a three-run second inning that was fueled by a leadoff double. Tarleton State responded at the bottom of the second when
Trace Morrison and
Hunter Smith drew two consecutive walks.
Braden Gostisha took advantage of the early scoring opportunity and doubled home Morrison, adding to his season RBI total.
Ike Shirey and
Lane Brewster each drove in a run apiece, evening the game up at 3-3.
The Jayhawks scratched off solo runs in the third and fourth innings to give them a 5-3 lead.
Parrish Beagle relieved Burcham in the fifth inning.
The Texans responded in the bottom of the fifth inning when
Jaime Perez drove home
Sergio Guerra to cut the lead to one. Beagle struck out all three batters he faced at the top of the sixth, beginning the run of scoreless innings for both teams.
The game stayed at 5-4 in favor of the Jayhawks until the top of the ninth inning when Kansas hit a leadoff home run to tack on insurance. Tarleton State couldn't erase the deficit, dropping the first game, 4-6.
Tarleton State totalled five hits in the game with Gostisha accounting for three of them on only four at bats. Perez and Drake had one hit each.
Parrish Beagle (2.0) and
Aden Lucas (1.2) combined for three scoreless innings of baseball out of the bullpen.
Game 2: Kansas 7, Tarleton State 5
Tarleton State came out swinging in game two but couldn't overcome the Jayhawks' rally to sweep the doubleheader.
Tyson Drake gave the Texans a boost of momentum to start off the game, recording a leadoff home run to give the Purple and White an early lead. This marked Drake's 12th RBI of the season, a team high.
Brian Panneton (1-1) pitched a scoreless second inning to maintain the lead, relieving the pressure on Tarleton State's offense. Shirey singled up the middle to give freshman
Rayner Heinrich his first collegiate run.
Lane Brewster drove in Gostisha shortly after to give Tarleton State a 3-0 advantage.
The Jayhawks put up four runs in the fourth inning, orchestrated by four hits and an error by the Texans. Kansas would tack on two more runs in the fifth to extend their lead 6-3. Perez had an RBI single in the fifth inning followed by another RBI in the seventh inning to give Drake his third run of the game, bringing the Texans within one.
Kansas extended their lead to two runs in the ninth inning, inching them closer to a doubleheader sweep. The Texans were unable to rally, dropping the second game of Saturday's slate, 7-5.
Drake led the way offensively going 4-5 with a RBI and three runs scored while five additional Texans had one hit each for Tarleton's nine on the day. Perez had two RBI.
Ethan Jaques pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief before turning the game over to
Cort Lowry for the final five outs.
The Texans will wrap up their series against the Jayhawks on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. at the Tarleton Baseball Complex. Get tickets
here.
