NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Tarleton State (15-7) rallied late to secure a 7–6 victory over Stephen F. Austin on the road on Saturday night.

Stephen F. Austin (13-11) struck first, scoring a run in the second inning before capitalizing on defensive miscues in the third to push across four runs and build an early 5–0 advantage.

The Texans began to chip away in the fourth inning when Rayner Heinrich blasted a solo home run to left field to put Tarleton State on the board. Tarleton State continued to apply pressure in the fifth inning, taking advantage of defensive errors to even the score at 5–5. Slade McCloud delivered a key two-run single in the inning, driving in a pair of runs to complete the rally.

After Stephen F. Austin regained the lead with a run in the seventh inning, Tarleton State answered in dramatic fashion in the ninth. The Texans tied the game when Jake Tatom scored on a wild pitch before Sergio Guerra came through with the go-ahead RBI single to give Tarleton State a 7–6 lead.

On the mound, Andrew Hardin earned the win in relief for Tarleton State, improving to 1-0 on the season after tossing 2.0 innings while allowing one run and striking out two. Starter Ethan Wendel worked 6.0 innings, surrendering five runs, three of them earned, while striking out three. Ethan Jaques closed the door in the ninth inning, striking out two to record his second save of the season.

Tarleton State will return to the field Sunday afternoon for the series finale against Stephen F. Austin, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. in Nacogdoches, Texas.