MESA (Interstat) — The Tarleton State Texans scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back, defeating the Sacramento State Hornets 9-0 on Thursday, May 21, in the 2026 Western Athletic Conference Baseball Championship at Mesa, Arizona.

Cort Lowry pitched seven shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three, to lead the Texans. He improved his record after a rough start earlier in the week. The Hornets managed just one hit for the game, a single by Beasley in the third inning that was erased on a caught stealing.

Tarleton State’s offensive explosion came early. In the bottom of the first, Jake Tatom walked and eventually scored on a single by Lorch. Cage McCloud then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Consecutive errors and walks loaded the bases, and Guerra cleared them with a two-run double. A sacrifice fly by Smeenk made it 5-0 after one inning.

The Texans added a run in the second when McCloud singled home a run after a wild pitch moved him to third. In the third inning, Tatom crushed a three-run homer to deep right field, capping the scoring at 9-0. Tatom finished 1 for 3 with the homer and three RBIs. McCloud went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and scored twice.

Sacramento State’s pitching struggled early. Starter Marton was pulled after just one third of an inning, and four relievers combined to allow no earned runs over the remaining 8 2/3 innings, but the damage was done. The Hornets’ only scoring threats came in the ninth when they put two runners on base with walks, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the game.

The win improved Tarleton State’s record to 35-19, while Sacramento State fell to 27-31. The Texans had lost two of three to the Hornets earlier in the month, including a 8-4 defeat on May 16, but this time they controlled the game from the outset.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tarleton State 7, Sacramento State 6. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Texans a 51.60 percent probability to win.