STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Baseball (13-17) fell in their midweek matchup to the Lamar Cardinals (24-7) on Tuesday, 22-16.

The Cardinals tallied 20 hits opposed to the Texans' 14. Additionally, Lamar's bullpen notched 12 strikeouts opposed to the Texans' eight. Despite the loss, Tuesday marked the 15th time that the Purple and White recorded double-digit hits this season.

The Cardinals set the tone early in the first inning, accumulating two walks and a single to load the bases. Zak Skinner took advantage of the opportunity, launching a grand slam to right field and giving Lamar an early 4-0 lead.

The Texans did not let this go unanswered, tacking on four runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Tyson Drake was hit by a pitch to start things off, followed by a walk from Rayner Heinrich on a full count. Once Slade McCloud loaded the bases, Jaime Perez started the scoring spurt with a sacrifice fly that drove in Drake. Carson Lorch stepped up immediately after, blasting a two-RBI triple to make the game 4-3. Trace Morrison did his job at the plate, sacrificing to score Lorch and tying the game at 4-4.

Tyler Olson came in to pitch the second inning for the Purple and White. Olson put down all three batters and tallied two strikeouts in the second frame to hold the Cardinals scoreless. Tarleton State tacked on three more runs in the second, swaying the momentum in their favor. Ike Shirey and Lane Brewster hit two consecutive singles to lead off the inning for the Texans. With two outs on the board, McCloud launched a three-run home run to center field, making the ballgame 7-4 in favor of the Texans. Following Tuesday's game, McCloud now has a team-high 43 hits and is the only Texan to register 40 or more hits this season.

The Cardinals and Texans exchanged runs in the third stanza with each squad tallying one run apiece. Lamar blew the game open in the fourth inning with an eight-run spurt that was fueled by five hits, two hit-by-pitches and a walk. Skinner, Heladio Moreno and Zane Spinn tallied three straight hits to give Lamar a 9-8 lead. Logan Hamm then launched a three-run shot to right field, followed by another home run from Hector Rodriguez, a solo shot that made the ballgame 13-8.

Skinner added to the Cardinals' home run total in the fifth inning with a two-run shot that extended the lead to seven. Morrison responded in the bottom of the fifth with a home run of his own to lead off the inning for Tarleton State. Morrison now has three homers on the year, marking a new career high for the senior.

Lamar continued their hot streak in the sixth inning with four runs on five hits. Hamm had his second deep ball of the game to lead things off, followed by four more hits from the Cardinals to give them a ten-run lead, 19-9.

The game remained at a stalemate until the bottom of the seventh when Tarleton State chipped away with a four-run rally. Lorch and Morrison hit two straight singles to get things under way. A defensive miscue from the Cardinals' infield put Blake Wilson on base, loading the bases for the Purple and White. Drake capped off the inning with a four-run grand slam, achieving his eighth home run of the season and marking the second straight game with a homer for the junior. Drake now holds a stellar total of 33 RBIs on the year, a team-high.

Jared White made his pitching debut for Tarleton State, putting down all three batters that he faced in the eighth stanza. After White was relieved of his duties, Lamar scratched off three more runs in the top of the ninth to make it 22-13.

Hunter Smith drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the final frame and was advanced to second via a single from Raef Wright. Drake blasted a three-run home run to account for his seventh RBI of the game. The Keller, Texas, native now has two games this year with multiple home runs, becoming the only Texan to do so in 2025.

Despite Drake's heroic efforts, Tarleton State Baseball eventually fell to the Cardinals, 22-16. The Purple and White will look to bounce back this weekend when they head to Seattle for a three-game series against the Seattle U Redhawks.