STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State used timely power at the plate and a shutdown performance from its pitching staff late in the game to defeat Houston Christian 8–5 on Saturday afternoon at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex, evening the series.

Houston Christian (9-9) jumped out to an early lead, scoring a run in the first inning and adding three more in the second to take a 4–1 advantage. Tarleton State (12-6) answered in the bottom of the first when Rayner Heinrich delivered an RBI double to right field, scoring Carson Lorch and putting the Texans on the board.

The Huskies added another run in the fifth to extend their lead to 5–1, but the Texans began their comeback in the bottom half of the inning. Kendyl Johnson sparked the Tarleton State offense with a two-run home run to right center, bringing home Jake Tatom and cutting the deficit to 5–3.

Tarleton State carried that momentum into the sixth inning. Ike Shirey opened the frame with a solo home run to left center to pull the Texans within one. Later in the inning, Raphael Smeenk delivered a clutch RBI double that tied the game before advancing to third on a throwing error. Tatom followed with an RBI groundout to bring Smeenk home, giving Tarleton State its first lead of the afternoon at 6–5.

The Texans added insurance in the seventh inning when Smeenk struck again, launching a two-run home run to right field to extend the Tarleton State lead to 8–5.

Tarleton State's pitching staff took control from there. After Houston Christian scored its fifth run in the top of the fifth, the Texans held the Huskies scoreless over the final four innings. Karson Davis came out of the bullpen to stop the momentum and help stabilize the game before Ethan Jaques closed things out in the ninth. The Tarleton State defense also turned key double plays to erase scoring threats and keep Houston Christian off the board late.

At the plate, Johnson finished with a home run and multiple RBI, while Shirey and Smeenk each delivered home runs as part of the Texans' offensive surge. Lorch, Heinrich, and Englett also contributed key hits to keep innings alive.

Karson Davis earned the win out of the bullpen for Tarleton State, improving to 3-0 on the season. Ethan Jaques shut the door in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season as the Texans secured the victory. 

With the win, Tarleton State evened the series and will return to the field Sunday to close out the series against Houston Christian at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex at 12 p.m.