Tarleton State goes extra innings to sweep Hounds

Tarleton State scored two runs after the first two hitters had been retired in the top of the 11th inning on Saturday, and the Texans held on for an 8-7 win over Eastern New Mexico University, sweeping Saturday’s twin bill and the three-game series at Greyhound Field.

In the first game, Tarleton cruised to a 12-3 victory.

ENMU (10-30, 3-22 LSC) tried to rally in the bottom of the 11th. Charles Sandberg Jr. hit a one-out double, took third on a wild pitch and score on Chris Padilla’s groundout to short.

Marcus Martinez and Tregra Williams followed with base hits off Texans reliever Callaway Kirkpatrick (3-5), but Zach Freeman was summoned and got right fielder Jacob Cluff on a fly ball to center to earn his fourth save and second of the series.

Staff photo: Matthew Asher

ENMU right fielder Jacob Cluff slides into home following a push bunt attempt by Michael McNicholl in the second inning against Tarleton State on Saturday afternoon. Cluff was tagged out on the play.

The game was close all the way. A two-out, three-run double to left in the fifth by ENMU’s Andrew Stubbs erased a 3-1 deficit against Texans starter Blain Bagley.

Tarleton grabbed the lead with two in the top of the seventh, but Cluff tied it in the bottom half with a two-out RBI single. Each team scored in the ninth, ENMU forcing extra innings on a squeeze bunt by Williams with one out to get Padilla home from third.

With two out in the 11th, Dylan Kuhn walked, took second on a wild pitch by reliever J’Daylin Jackson (2-5) and scored on Forrest Perron’s double. Perron later came home on a wild pitch.

Tarleton outhit ENMU 19-16, but the Texans stranded 16 baserunners.

In Saturday’s seven-inning opener, the Texans did all their damage in the first three innings against starter Alec Lemmon (2-3) and Michael Holliday. ENMU got four innings of one-hit, shutout relief from Enrique Perez.

Shortstop Alec Humphreys went 3-for-5 with two triples and his second home run of the season for the Texans. He tripled with one out and scored in the first, added a two-run triple in Tarleton’s seven-run second and added a three-run homer to key a four-run third.

ENMU got on the board in the fourth on a walk to Wesley Jordan and Williams’ two-run homer, his third of the season. The Hounds added another run in the sixth when Jordan doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single to center by Cluff.

Trevor Renfro (6-3) allowed just four hits and struck out 10 in going the seven-inning distance.

Tarleton State 6, ENMU 5 (Friday) — The Texans opened a 5-0 lead in the third inning and held off a late ENMU comeback.

Down 6-1, the Hounds made a game of it with two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, pulling to within a run on Jordan’s two-run, pinch-hit single with two outs and the bases loaded off Freeman.

Jordan stole second to put the winning runs in scoring position, but Freeman got Cluff on strikes to end it.

Humphreys went 3-for-5 for. The Texans outhit the Hounds 12-10, with nine players hitting safely for ENMU.

Texico left-hander Jarron Hill pitched 5 1/3 innings in long relief, allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned). Starter James Thomas (0-5) was lifted after giving up two runs in the first inning and took the loss.

Jacob French (4-3) pitched into the eighth inning for the Texans, walking one and striking out seven.