ST. GEORGE, Utah (Interstat) — Tarleton State defeated Utah Tech 8-4 Saturday evening at Burns Arena in Western Athletic Conference play. The Texans improved to 30-16, while the Trailblazers fell to 27-17.

Starter Ethan Wendel was the top star, pitching five innings with two strikeouts, no hits and two earned runs. Rayner Heinrich went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, and Jake Tatom added a homer and a double, driving in two runs. Tarleton State amassed 12 hits to Utah Tech’s nine, and the Trailblazers grounded into three double plays.

The Texans broke the game open with two runs in the fifth inning, including Tatom’s solo homer, then added two more in the sixth on Heinrich’s RBI single and a double by Tatom. After Utah Tech scored twice in the bottom of the sixth, Tarleton State answered with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth, highlighted by Heinrich’s homer. The Trailblazers’ Finnegan Stewart hit a two-run homer in the eighth. The teams close the series Sunday.