Texans fall in extra-inning heartbreaker to UTA

STEPHENVILLE - Tarleton State Baseball (15-22, 3-6 WAC) fell to the UT Arlington Mavericks (13-19, 5-4 WAC) during the series finale on Sunday afternoon, losing 14-13 in extra innings.

The Texans tallied a stellar 21 hits opposed to 17 from UT Arlington. , and paved the way for Tarleton State's offense with three hits apiece.

got things going for the Purple and White early, knocking a lead-off double in the bottom of the first. This was followed by an RBI single from that drove in Drake for the first run of the ballgame.

The game remained 1-0 in favor of the Texans until the third inning when Austin Phillips blasted a lead-off home run for the Mavericks, tying the game up at 1-1. After two consecutive singles from Tate Bethel and Parker Airhart, Bethel scored via a sacrifice fly from Xavier Melendez that made the game 2-1.

responded with a solo home run to left field that tied the game up. This marked Guerra's third home run in his last four games and extended the senior's hit streak to 11 straight games, a team high. Additionally, Guerra has now tallied three or more hits in three of his last four appearances.

The Mavericks regained control of the lead thanks to a hit-by-pitch and a fielding error from the Texans. Bethel capped off the inning with an RBI single to make the game 4-2 in favor of UT Arlington. The Purple and White cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fourth, fueled by a one-out double from Lorch and an RBI single from Shirey.

After a scoreless fifth stanza, UT Arlington orchestrated a massive sixth inning that contained eight runs off five hits and an error. This scoring spurt from the Mavericks was highlighted by RBI knocks from Phillips and Dodson as well as a three-run home run from Melendez that scored Dodson and Airhart. Xander McAfee closed out the five-run frame with a solo home run to left field, giving UTA a 12-3 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth.

The Purple and White responded with four runs of their own in sixth frame. set the tone with a lead-off double, followed by a single from Shirey that drove in the center fielder. Heinrich blasted a double to center field to score Shirey, cutting the lead to seven. With Heinrich on base, Guerra stepped up on a 1-1 count and hit a no-doubter to right field for his second home run of the game. With his two-run shot, Guerra achieved his first multiple home run performance as a Tarleton State Texan.

Still leading 12-7, the Mavericks extended their lead in the top of the eighth off an RBI groundout from Jackson Hill that scored Dodson. The Texans made a late rally in the bottom of the frame by putting up three runs of their own. After Heinrich was hit by a pitch, launched a two-run shot to center field for his fifth home run of the season. Following McCloud's momentum boost, Guerra registered a double for his third extra-base hit of the afternoon and was eventually drove in thanks to an RBI single from .

Tarleton State left the eighth inning still trailing 13-10. held the Mavericks scoreless in the top of the ninth, giving the Texans one last shot to make a three-run rally. The Purple and White did just that, thanks to a heroic three-run bomb from Heinrich that scored Shirey and Drake to bring Tarleton State all the way back from what was once a nine-run deficit. This marked Heinrich's second consecutive game with a home run, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy.

Despite the clutch home run from the freshman, the game was far from over as the two squads headed into an extra-inning series finale. After two consecutive groundouts and no runners on base, the Mavericks made a late rally off a single from Hill and a hit-by-pitch. Phillips hit an RBI single on the first pitch he saw, giving UT Arlington a late 14-13 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th inning.

The Texans were unable to complete the comeback and ultimately lost the series finale 14-13. They will look to bounce back on Tuesday against the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station. Get tickets here.