STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Baseball (9-13) came up short against Kansas State (13-7), falling 7-6 at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex.

This was the Texans' fourth of six Power Four opponents on the 2025 baseball schedule. Tarleton State will take on another Big 12 opponent next week when they head to Lubbock to face Texas Tech.

Each team tallied eight hits apiece on Wednesday night. Additionally, both squads posted nine strikeouts and four walks. The Wildcats recorded one error while the Texans had zero. Kansas State accounted for five extra-base hits opposed to two from Tarleton State.

In the top of the first inning, the Wildcats put up two runs thanks to a leadoff double from Dee Kennedy as well as two consecutive doubles from AJ Evasco and Seth Dardar. Tarleton State responded quickly during the bottom of the stanza when Carson Lorch and Slade McCloud drew back-to-back walks at the plate. Trace Morrison hit a sacrifice fly to left field that drove in Lorch for the Texans' first run of the ballgame, cutting the Wildcats' lead to one.

Parrish Beagle came onto the mound for the Texans in the second inning. Beagle orchestrated a scoreless second inning via a strikeout and a 6-4-3 double play ball.

The Purple and White came out swinging in the second frame, putting up two runs on three hits. The scoring spurt was fueled by a leadoff single from Braden Gostisha, followed by a double from Rayner Heinrich that scored Gostisha to tie the game at 2-2. After Lane Brewster grounded out to advance Heinrich to third base, the freshman scored on a wild pitch to give Tarleton State their first lead of the ballgame. 

Beagle did his duties on the mound in the third inning to hold the Wildcats scoreless, keeping the momentum in favor of Tarleton State. Despite a leadoff single from Jaime Perez in the bottom of the frame, the Texans were unable to extend their lead. Perez's hit marked his eighth consecutive game with at least one hit, the longest active hit streak on the team. 

Kansas State scored on a wild pitch to tie the game up in the fourth inning. The Texans didn't let this go unanswered and regained the lead immediately thanks to a leadoff solo shot from Gostisha. Gostisha now has 10 RBIs and two home runs through nine appearances.

Maximus Martin launched a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Wildcats a 5-4 advantage. This turned the tide in favor of Kansas State, giving them their first lead since the second inning. Andrew Hardin then came out of the Texan bullpen for relief, pitching 2.0 innings of work without allowing a hit or an earned run. 

Tyson Drake got back in his groove with a leadoff single. Carson Lorch drew a walk right after, putting two runners on base with zero outs. After a double steal from Drake and Lorch, Perez sacrificed to drive in the tying run, scoring Drake to make the ballgame 5-5. 

In the top of the eighth stanza, Keegan O'Connor notched a two-run home run to propel the Wildcats to a 7-5 lead. Gostisha tallied his third hit of the game and also scored his third run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a RBI from Heinrich.

Tarleton State was held scoreless in the ninth inning and ultimately dropped the nailbiter to Kansas State, 7-6. The Texans will look to bounce back when they host SFA for a three-game series this weekend in Stephenville, Texas.