STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State (22-11, 2-2 WAC) put the pressure on Abilene Christian  (17-17, 1-3 WAC) all night, tying a program record with nine steals in a series-opening win.

After ACU opened the scoring in the top of the first, Tarleton State answered immediately. Slade McCloud delivered an RBI single to tie the game, and Ike Shirey followed with an RBI double down the right-field line to give the Texans a 2–1 lead. The momentum continued in the second inning when Jake Tatom launched a two-run home run to left field, extending the advantage.

Abilene Christian fought back in the third inning, scoring three runs to narrow the deficit to one, but the Texans responded again. Cage McCloud drove in a run in the bottom half of the inning, and Tarleton State added insurance runs in the fourth and a three-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

Out of the bullpen, Ethan Jaques (4-0) earned the win after tossing 2.2 innings and allowing just one unearned run while striking out five. Anthony Treto closed the door with four scoreless innings to secure his third save of the season.

Tarleton State finished with 14 hits in the victory, highlighted by multi-hit performances and aggressive baserunning. The Texans tied the program single-game record with nine stolen bases, a 17-year-old record, first set on May 3, 2009, against Southeastern Oklahoma.

Tarleton State will return to action Friday at 3 p.m. at the Tarleton State Baseball Complex to face the Wildcats for the second game of the series. Tarleton State will have purple rally towels available for fans at the game, while supplies last.