Box Score




 FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (33-19) ended the regular season in an extra innings 11-9 thriller with Tarleton State University (22-19) on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Texans struck early with a two out RBI single through the left side by Garrett Hardey. Landon Thompson followed with a RBI base hit to the shortstop in almost the same spot to put Tarleton up 2-0.
 
The Rams got a run back in the bottom half of the inning with an Alex Padilla RBI single through the left side. Taylor Jockers loaded the bases with a liner into shallow center with one out to bring up Christian Soberanes. Soberanes made the most of his at bat with the bases juiced and crushed a ball well over the left center fence for a grand slam and a 5-2 lead.
 
The Texans cut the lead to within one after a lead-off walk brought Blake Silguero to the plate for a two run bomb in the third. Chris Patton hit a RBI single to right center later in the inning to square the game at 5-5.
 
The game was deadlocked from the third inning through the eighth as both teams’ offense basically shut down backed by solid pitching and defense.
 
The Texans finally broke the tie in the eighth with an Evan Robinson single to center field with runner on first and second. The first run scored but Robinson was thrown out trying to take second to end the inning before the second run could score making it a 6-5 ball game.
 
Jake Howeth made things interesting in the bottom half of the inning with a two out, eleven pitch at bat ending in a double down the left field line to put a runner in scoring position for fourth consecutive inning and five out of six innings with no payoff. Justin Barnes changed that with a one pitch RBI single to right center to tie the game again a six apiece.  Padilla reached on an error by the second baseman. Jockers kept the inning alive with a RBI single to right field to break the tie. Another run crossed the plate on the same play by way of a throwing error to make it an 8-6 lead for the Rams.
 
The Texans were not lying down with their backs against the wall, they put runners on the corners for Hardey who hit the third home run of the day to take a 9-8 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.
 
Stephen Niedwiecki got things started in the ninth with a lead-off walk. Andrew Coleman entered to pinch run at first base and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. Joseph Lassiter hit a rocket up the middle back was picked by a full vertical diving Ryan Small who committed the error in the eighth to allow the Rams to later take the lead. Joel Horton with a full count kept the thrill ride going with a RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 9-9.
 
Tarleton State answered again in tenth after a hit batter put Ryan Small in a RBI spot. Small delivered with a RBI double down the left field line to take a 10-9 lead. Silguero fired one into center after that to put Texans up11-9 and putting pressure on the Rams.
 
Padilla singled up the middle in the bottom half of the inning, but that would be all for Texas Wesleyan as they drop the three hour and twenty five minute nail biter finale 11-9.
 
The Rams will gear up for the conference tournament in Shreveport, LA. The third seeded Rams will take on fourth seed UT-Brownsville on Saturday, April 28.