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Tarleton State University Athletics

Texans meet on the mound as they face Houston Christian on March 16, 2026 in Stephenville, Tx.
9
Winner Houston Christian HCU 10-9
5
Tarleton State TAR 12-7
Winner
Houston Christian HCU
10-9
9
Final
5
Tarleton State TAR
12-7
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Houston Christian HCU 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 7 0
Tarleton State TAR 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 7 2

W: Ben Smith (3-1) L: Wendel, Ethan (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Texans rally late but fall to Houston Christian in series finale

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State mounted a late rally in the ninth inning but ultimately fell 9–5 to Houston Christian in the series finale Sunday afternoon at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex.

Houston Christian (10-9) struck quickly in the opening inning, scoring seven runs on two home runs to take an early 7–0 lead. The Huskies added two more runs in the third inning to extend the advantage to 9–1.

Tarleton State (12-7) responded in the bottom of the first when Rayner Heinrich launched a solo home run to right center to put Tarleton State on the board. Heinrich continued to swing the bat well throughout the afternoon, later adding a triple in the third inning that helped spark another run when Slade McCloud lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring him home and cut the deficit to 9–2.

Tarleton State's pitching staff settled in after the early innings, holding Houston Christian scoreless for the final six frames. The bullpen combined to limit the Huskies' offense and gave the Texans a chance to chip away late in the game.

The Texans made their final push in the ninth inning. After Chris Ricard reached base, Raphael Smeenk drove in a run with a double down the left field line. Sergio Guerra followed with another RBI double, and Jake Tatom added an RBI single through the right side to bring Tarleton State within four runs before Houston Christian recorded the final out.

The Texans used seven pitchers on the afternoon, and the bullpen settled in after the early damage. Ethan Wendel was charged with the loss for Tarleton State after Houston Christian's seven-run first inning. Jackson Elizondo, Andrew Hardin, Ben Bosse, Tai Phetluangsy, Jack Lovin, and Ashton Bassett combined to hold the Huskies scoreless over the final six innings while limiting additional scoring opportunities.

For Houston Christian, starter Ben Smith (3-1) earned the win after pitching a complete game and allowing five runs to secure the victory.

Tarleton State closed out the weekend series with Houston Christian on Sunday and will return to action Tuesday when the Texans travel to Austin to face No. 2 Texas at 6:30 p.m. 


 
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