STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State (23-12, 3-3 WAC) closed out its first home conference series of the season with a hard-fought 10–9 victory over Abilene Christian (18-18, 2-4, WAC) on Saturday at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex, securing the series win two games to one. 

Tarleton State broke the game open in the third inning when Sergio Guerra launched a solo home run to left field to put the Texans on the board. Later in the frame, Slade McCloud delivered the biggest swing of the day, blasting a three-run homer to cap a five-run inning and give Tarleton State a 5–0 advantage. 

The Texans added to their lead in the fourth inning when Jake Tatom connected on a three-run home run to left center, extending the margin to 8–2. McCloud continued his strong performance at the plate later in the inning with an RBI single, helping Tarleton State build a 9–2 lead. 

Tarleton State pushed across what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the seventh inning after Ike Shirey tripled and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 10–3. 

Abilene Christian mounted a late rally in the ninth inning, scoring six runs and bringing the tying run to the plate, but Tai Phetluangsy closed the door to secure his fifth save of the season and preserve the Texans' victory. 

On the mound, Matthew McCullough earned the win in relief, improving to 3–2 on the season after tossing 2.2 innings. 

Tarleton State will return to action on Tuesday as the Texans travel to Fort Worth to take on TCU at 6 p.m.