STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Interstat) — The Houston Christian Huskies built a seven-run lead and then survived a furious late rally by the Tarleton State Texans, escaping with a 7-6 victory in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night.

The Huskies (9-8) were carried by a dominant start from pitcher David Lopez and a decisive fourth-inning offensive outburst, while the Texans (11-6) saw their comeback bid fall just short after a six-run rally over the final four innings.

Lopez was nearly untouchable for Houston Christian, throwing five no-hit innings. He struck out six and walked one, exiting with a commanding lead. The Huskies’ offense, which managed nine hits, broke through in the fourth against Tarleton State reliever A.J. Treto.

With a 1-0 lead, Houston Christian sent nine men to the plate in the fourth. The inning was capped by Jackson’s three-run homer to left field, which followed RBI singles from Bard and Defazio. The blast turned a tight game into a 7-0 advantage and seemed to put the contest out of reach.

The most important part of the game arrived in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Tarleton State mounted a stunning and chaotic rally. Trailing 7-3, the Texans capitalized on a critical error to ignite their comeback. Englett reached on a throwing error by the Huskies’ third baseman, stole second, and Johnson walked. After two strikeouts, Lorch launched a three-run, opposite-field homer to left, with all runs unearned due to the earlier error, slicing the deficit to 7-6. The very next batter, Cage McCloud, tripled, bringing the potential tying run to third base.

Facing the sudden shift in momentum, Houston Christian manager called on reliever Ben Norton from the bullpen. Norton needed just one pitch to extinguish the threat, striking out Ike Shirey swinging to strand McCloud at third and preserve the one-run lead.

Norton returned for the ninth to earn the save, setting down the Texans in order with two more strikeouts. Louis Castano, who relieved Lopez, was credited with the win despite allowing three earned runs over 2 2/3 innings. Tarleton State’s Andrew Hardin took the loss after surrendering two earned runs in one inning of work.

McCloud was a bright spot for the Texans, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the seventh, a triple, a walk and an RBI. Jackson Elizondo provided two scoreless innings of relief for Tarleton State. For Houston Christian, Walker contributed two hits and two RBIs.

The victory gives Houston Christian a winning record for the first time this season after they opened the year 0-4. Tarleton State saw a four-game winning streak snapped. The two teams will continue the series on Saturday and Sunday.