STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Baseball opened its 2026 season with a dominant offensive performance in a 20-3 victory over Le Moyne in seven innings on Friday night at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex.
The Texans (1-0) won their season opener for the third straight year, and won their home opener for the fourth straight year. The Purple and White did it in record-breaking fashion scoring 20 runs, their most in a season opener in the program's modern era. The Dolphins (0-1) allowed five home runs on the day, including three in the first two innings.
The Texans jumped out early and never looked back, scoring in five of their six innings at the plate. Tarleton State's three Preseason All-WAC players accounted for the five home runs, two by
Sergio Guerra, two by
Slade McCloud and one by
Rayner Heinrich.
Guerra delivered a historic night at the plate, finishing 3-for-3 with a team-high eight RBI, including his two home runs, one in the second and one in the third. McCloud was just as impressive, going 3-for-3 with five RBI and two homers, his in the first and one in the third. Heinrich's was a three-run home run in the second.
On the mound,
Brian Panneton earned the win in the opener, throwing four innings while allowing two runs and striking out three. He walked just one and had a pair of 1-2-3 innings.
Jackson Elizondo made his Texan debut in relief, allowing an earned run on two hits with two strikeouts in two innings.
Conner Doucet closed it out with a three-up three-down appearance in the seventh, including a strikeout to end the game.
Tarleton State outhit Le Moyne 14-6. The Texans' 20 runs are their most since dropping 31 on Butler in seven innings in the second game of the season last year.
Tarleton State struck first in the opening frame when McCloud crushed a solo home run to left center to put the Texans ahead, 1-0.
The offense erupted in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run blast from Guerra and a two-run homer by Heinrich, extending the lead to 5-0.
The Texans seized full control in the third inning as Tarleton State sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs. Guerra drove in two with a single before Heinrich earned an RBI walk. McCloud followed with a grand slam to right field, and Guerra capped the inning with a three-run homer, pushing the lead to 15-0.
Le Moyne scratched across two runs in the fourth, but Tarleton State responded with two more in the fifth on a two-run single by
Kendyl Johnson.
After Le Moyne added a run in the sixth, the Texans sealed the run-rule victory with three runs in the bottom half, including a bases-loaded walk by Guerra and a two-run single from
Ike Shirey.
Shirey finished 2-for-5 on the day with two RBI and a run.
Matt Guthmiller went 2-for-4 and a walk with four runs scored, earning two doubles.
Carson Lorch also had a double on the day.
Tarleton State will continue its weekend series against Le Moyne on Saturday at a newly-scheduled 6 p.m. start time at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex. The second game of the series will start three hours later than originally scheduled due to projected rain.
