Tarleton State Baseball extends WAC win streak, takes series opener against Utah Tech

STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Baseball (18-25, 6-7 WAC) emerged victorious against the Utah Tech Trailblazers (17-22, 3-10 WAC) during Friday night's game at the Tarleton Baseball Complex, winning 3-2.

The Texans have now won three straight conference games. Friday marked the first home win for the Purple and White since 3/30/25. In the series opener, the Texans totaled nine strikeouts while the Trailblazers had three. Each team was held to single-digit hits in the low-scoring battle and both squads posted one error apiece.

(5-2) paved the way to victory for Tarleton State, pitching eight scoreless innings while only allowing three hits on 93 pitches. Panneton registered six strikeouts, becoming the first and only Texan pitcher to notch 50 or more strikeouts this season. Following Friday's game, he leads the team with 53.

The Trailblazers couldn't score in the first inning despite a lead-off single from Kyle McDaniel. hit a two-out single for the Texans in the bottom of the frame, but both teams stayed scoreless heading into the second. Panneton tallied two looking strikeouts in the top of the second stanza, giving Tarleton State an early momentum boost thanks to his dominant command on the mound.

The junior pitcher tacked on three more strikeouts in the third and fourth innings. Despite a one-out single from and two straight walks from and , the Purple and White went down via a flyout with the bases loaded, keeping the game knotted at 0-0.

The Texans finally ended the scoreless drought in the fifth frame, putting up three runs off three hits. led things off by reaching first base safely on a defensive miscue from the Trailblazers. This was accompanied by a single from that advanced Heinrich to third, followed by an RBI single from Perez that scored the freshman for the first run of the ballgame. After Lorch launched a sacrifice fly that brought in Morrison, the inning was capped off by a two-out RBI double from Guerra that made the game 3-0 in favor of Tarleton State.

Panneton continued to maintain superb control of the mound, allowing no baserunners in the sixth and seventh stanzas. Morrison knocked a lead-off single in the bottom of the seventh on a full count. However, the game remained 3-0 after Tarleton State failed to score the hometown kid.

relieved Panneton of his duties after eight shutout innings. Things got tricky in the top of the ninth when Petey Soto Jr. struck out swinging but was able to reach first base safely off a wild pitch. This was followed by an error from the Texans that allowed Soto Jr. and McDaniel to both reach base safely with no outs on the board. After a big time strikeout from Lucas, Ryan Kroepel hit a single to load the bases, followed by an RBI groundout from Hunter Katschke that cut the lead to two runs.

Utah Tech made the game 3-2 thanks to an RBI single from Finnegan Stewart, however, the Trailblazers' late rally wasn't enough. Tarleton State successfully closed out the series opener when Lucas registered his third strikeout of the inning, propelling the Purple and White to a narrow victory over their conference foe.

The Texans and Trailblazers will face off again on Saturday at 3 p.m. Get tickets here.