Box Score STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Tarleton Texans used a two-run fifth inning and a two-run sixth inning to pull away from Texas Wesleyan on Tuesday and pick up a win in the team's home-opener, downing the Rams 6-4 at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex in Stephenville.
 
Colten Boothe, Fola Lajide and Nico Moran each had two hits apiece on the day, and guiding the Texan offense to a season-high six runs in the contest.
 
After Lajide singled in the fourth inning, he later stole home to tie the game at 2-2.  Alvaro Morneo then broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a sacrifice bunt that scored Ryan Small on the play. Lajide then drove in his only run batted in on the day as he beat out a single to third base, which scored Boothe to make it a 4-2 game.
 
Moran led off the bottom half of the sixth inning with a double down the leftfield line and eventually moved to third base on a pass ball from the Ram pitcher. When moving to third the catcher overthrew the third baseman, and Moran came home to score on the error. Evan Robinson walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Small. He then scored on Boothe's RBI up-the-middle to make it a 6-2 game.
 
The Texans allowed a pair of runs to cross the plate in the top of the ninth inning, but Garrett Kelly (S, 2) eventually got the third out with runners at the corners, as TWU's Alex Padilla hit into a fielder's choice to get the runner at first out at second base.
 
Tanner Ross (ND) got the start for the Texans, giving up two runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work. A gang of Texan pitchers took over to finish the game and combine for the win for Tarleton. Seth Hallmark worked the third, while Troyal Yosko (1-0) picked up the win for the home team as he was the pitcher-of-record in the fourth inning. Yosko did not allow a run and yielded just two hits in his two full innings of work.
 
Landon Thompson and Kody Thiebaud worked the next three frames before Kelly came in to closeout the game.

"The kids did a good job of finding a way to win after a tough weekend," Tarleton head baseball coach Bryan Conger said. "We are proud of the way they competed. We still have a lot of work in front of us to get to where we want to go."
 
Sean Simonz got the start for the Rams, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out four in 3.2 innings. Nolan Barbee (2-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season, giving up two runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of relief duty.
 
The Texans improved to 3-3-1 overall and snapped its three-game non-winning streak in the process. Tarleton moved to 3-2 overall in home-openers under Conger. Conger is now 2-0 against TWU as well.
 
The Rams dropped to 6-4 overall with the loss.
 
Tarleton will have an entire week off before returning to action next Tuesday, Feb. 19 against currently No. 15-ranked St. Mary's. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. in San Antonio.