RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Tarleton State Baseball (20-28, 8-9 WAC) dropped Saturday's game against the California Baptist Lancers (25-22, 8-9 WAC), losing 15-4.

Slade McCloud got things going in the first inning with a one-out single. After Carson Lorch and McCloud were set up in scoring position off an error and a passed ball from CBU, Trace Morrison hit an RBI groundout to drive in McCloud for the first run of the game. Tarleton State held a one-run advantage heading into the bottom of the opening stanza. California Baptist, however, responded with a three-run home run from Jake Brown, giving the Lancers a 3-1 lead.

Sergio Guerra lifted a solo home run to lead-off the second inning. The senior now has a hit in 18 of his last 20 appearances and currently ranks first in the Western Athletic Conference with a .708 slugging percentage.

Jake Burcham held CBU scoreless in the second and third frames, tallying three strikeouts across that stretch. After a scoreless fourth inning from the Purple and White, California Baptist got back on the board with a three-run scoring spurt that was highlighted by an RBI single from Julian Alvarez and a two-RBI single from Bubba Rocha.

California Baptist kept their foot on the gas, tacking on six runs in the bottom of the fifth. This included a two-run home run from Andrew Walters as well as two RBI singles from Rocha and Ryan Kim. The Lancers also scored two runs via hit-by-pitches with the bases loaded. After their best inning of the ballgame, CBU led 12-2 heading into the top of the sixth.

The Texans couldn't cut into the deficit despite a lead-off walk from Rayner Heinrich and a one-out double from Lorch. The Lancers orchestrated another great inning, putting up three more runs off two hits, two hit-by-pitches and two walks. Following the conclusion of the sixth stanza, Tarleton State found themselves trailing by 13 runs.

Hunter Smith drew a lead-off walk in the top of the seventh inning, followed by an error that allowed Heinrich to reach base safely. After both runners advanced due to defensive indifference, Smith scored the third run of the game for Tarleton State thanks to another defensive miscue from California Baptist. The Lancers had their third error of the inning that allowed Heinrich to score, making the game 15-4.

The Purple and White eventually dropped game two in Riverside, breaking their conference series winning streak. Tarleton State Baseball will look to finish strong when they take on the Lancers on Sunday at 1 p.m. central.