- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – The Texans and Javelinas began their four-game set Friday at the Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex with Kingsville taking game one 10-3.

A&M-Kingsville jumped right out of the gate with a three-run first inning, taking advantage of an error and a couple of stolen bases.  After the first frame, Tarleton trailed 3-0.

That score would hold until the third inning when the Javelinas added to their lead with three more runs, including a home run to left.

Tarleton managed to break up the shutout in the bottom of the third when Noah Ringenberger doubled to right on a ball that got by the outfielder and Chris Patton scored from third.  That made it a 6-1 contest.

The Texans got through a scoreless fourth before the Javelinas got another trio of runs in the fifth.  Tarleton now faced a 9-1 deficit.

Kingsville made it 10-1 in the seventh with a solo home run to center.

The Tarleton bats continued to struggle against Kingsville starter Jaden Dillon, who entered the game as the top pitcher in the conference with a 0.69 ERA.

The Texans did get a run back in the bottom of the seventh on Evan Robinson's RBI single to right center, scoring Patton.  Patton had doubled to lead off the inning.

In the eighth, Ryan Small stroked a lead-off home run over the left field fence to make it 10-3. It marked Small's third home run in as many games and his fourth of the season.  Tarleton would go on to load the bases in the inning, but would be left stranded as Kingsville got out of the inning without any further damage.

A ninth-inning rally attempt came up just short and the Texans fell to the Javelinas, 10-3.

Small, Ringenberger and Robinson finished the game with the RBI's for Tarleton, who did manage to rack up 11 hits in the game.  Robinson, Patton and Small had multi-hit games for the Texans.

Kenneth Stockton (0-1) suffered the loss in his first start of the season after giving up nine runs, five earned, on seven hits in four innings.  Four errors behind Stockton did not help the hurler's effort.

Dillon improved his record to 5-0 on the year with just two runs allowed in seven innings.

Tarleton (12-11, 5-4) and Kingsville (16-7, 5-4) will continue the series on Saturday with a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m. at the Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.

For more information regarding the 2012 Texan baseball season, check out TarletonSports.com.