FORT WORTH, Texas — The Texas Wesleyan Baseball team came up big in their series opener with No. 15 USAO, beating the Drovers 8-6 in nine innings at Sycamore Park on Friday.
 
Nelson Vera led the Rams at the plate going 2 for 2 for 2 RBI with double and a sacrifice fly. Kevin Santiago also went 2 for 2 with 1 RBI hitting a double and a sac fly of his own. Joseph Barfield batted 2 for 3 with 1 RBI and a double.
 
Starter Morgan McCloud got the win on the mound, moving to 4-0 this season. He allowed 8 hits, 6 runs, no walks and struck out 1 in 7 innings of work.
 
Garrett Moltzan finished the game out of the bullpen, allowing no hits, no runs, 1 walk and had 1 strike out.
 
While USAO struck first for one run in the third, TXWES tied it in the fourth on Vera's RBI double. The fifth saw USAO plate another, but the Rams brought home three in the home half for the 4-2 lead.
 
The Drovers cut the deficit to one run with a RBI double in the seventh, but the Rams had another three-run inning in the bottom to extend the lead 8-3. In the eighth, USAO got two back but went down in order in the ninth for the 8-6 TXWES win.
 
The Rams (17-10, 6-4 SAC) close out their 3-game series with USAO (20-9, 10-3 SAC) with a double-header on Saturday, April 10 starting at noon.