STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Baseball (13-16) took down Sacramento State (15-12) on Sunday afternoon, winning 14-12 and achieving the series victory during their opening stretch of WAC play.

Each team tallied double-digit hits in the high-scoring affair. Tarleton State posted 14 hits while Sacramento State had 13. The Texans' also registered nine strikeouts compared to the Hornets' three.

Tarleton State couldn't find the strike zone early, giving up two walks and two hit-by-pitches in the first inning that helped lead Sacramento State to an early 3-0 lead. Tyson Drake got the Texans on the board in the bottom of the first, hitting a lead-off single then advancing himself to scoring position before scoring on a wild pitch from the Hornets.

Sacramento State walked four times in the second frame, extending their lead to 4-1. Tarleton State was unable to respond in the bottom of the second stanza despite a double from Sergio Guerra, marking his fourth extra-base hit of the week.

The Hornets kept their momentum going in the third inning when Cameron Sewell hit an RBI single to score Orlando Cobarrubias. Elie Kligman launched a home run immediately after, a two-run shot that brought in Kligman and extended the Hornets' lead to six runs.

Tarleton State put together a massive third inning, tallying five runs and four hits to bring them back into the ballgame. Lane Brewster got things started with a lead-off single followed by a stolen base. Drake singled up the middle to score Brewster, followed by a single from Rayner Heinrich to right field which put Drake in scoring position.

Following Heinrich's single, a defensive miscue from Sacramento State allowed Jaime Perez to get on base safely while also scoring Drake. Carson Lorch then reached on a fielding error from the Hornets' shortstop which also allowed Heinrich to score, bringing the game to 7-4. Guerra capped off the third inning with a two-RBI single that scored Lorch and Perez. The Purple and White left the third stanza trailing by just one run.

The Hornets scratched off another run in the top of the fourth. The Texans responded with a solo home run from Drake on a 2-0 count. This marked Drake's seventh deep shot of the year, a team-high.

Sacramento State accumulated three consecutive two-out singles to score another run in the fifth inning. The Hornets kept their foot on the gas in the sixth stanza when JP Smith hit a two-RBI single, making it an 11-7 ballgame with three innings left to play.

Ike Shirey got things going in the bottom of the sixth, recording a lead-off single which was followed by a single from Brewster. Drake walked to load the bases before Heinrich hit a sacrifice groundout to score Shirey. Perez sacrificed himself as well, scoring Brewster and cutting the Hornets' lead to two. 

Aden Lucas came in for pitching relief in the seventh inning. Lucas pitched two innings of work, striking out two batters and allowing no runs.

The Purple and White rallied in the bottom of the eighth frame to take full control of the ballgame. After Drake walked, Heinrich and Slade McCloud tallied two singles to load the bases with no outs. Perez kept the Texans' streak going, hitting another single up the middle that scored Drake for his fourth run of the game. With Tarleton State trailing by one, Lorch tied the game up with a single that brought in Heinrich, giving the Texans their fourth consecutive hit of the inning.

Trace Morrison gave Tarleton State the lead via a sacrifice fly that scored McCloud. The Hornets made a pitching substitution and hit Guerra on the first pitch, keeping the bases moving for the Purple and White. Ike Shirey drew a walk on a full count, giving him an RBI while Perez accounted for his second run of the game. Brewster hit a fielder's choice that scored Lorch to cap off the five-run inning, giving Tarleton State a 14-11 lead after eight.

Andrew Hardin got the save and closed out the ninth inning for the Texans, propelling them to 14-12 victory. Tarleton State Baseball took their opening conference series 2-1 and will look to keep their momentum going when they take on the Lamar Cardinals on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Get tickets here.