CBU Drops First Game of WAC Tournament to Tarleton

Wednesday, May 22

Mesa, AZ.

4 PM

California Baptist University

34-23

#5 Tarleton State University

29-28

Tarleton State

Cal Baptist

CBU Drops First Game of WAC Tournament to Tarleton

5/22/2024 7:50:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Mariah Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and Digital Media

MESA, AZ--- The California Baptist baseball program opened its second Western Athletic Conference Tournament appearance on Wednesday afternoon against Tarleton State after earning a first-round bye. The Lancers dropped the second-round match-up 5-3 after the Texans strung together a three-run eighth inning for the win. CBU will now drop into the loser's bracket and will face the loser of tomorrow's Utah Valley and Abilene Christian contest at 4 p.m.

An early lead for Tarleton kicked off the game after a loaded bases situation in the second inning, but the Lancers responded immediately as Julian Alvarez scored in the bottom of the third. The contest did not stay tied for long after the Texans found a lone run in the fourth to retake their lead.

That ball STRETCHED on out of here courtesy of Doomy🗣️#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/wmFgE2ltUH
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 23, 2024

Nicholas Dumesnil got the offensive ball rolling in the sixth with his 19th home run of the season, and Defensive WAC Player of the Year Josh Paino got in on the fun with a triple. Designated Hitter Ryan Kim drove in the shortstop for the third run of the afternoon, giving the Lancers a 3-2 lead. After a quiet seventh inning for the Texans, CBU saw their next best opportunity to take control of the game with a pair of runners on and one in scoring position. A ground ball to second would ultimately end the inning for the Lancers, while a three-run top of the eighth secured the victory for Tarleton.

CBU drops to 34-23 on the season and is now 0-3 in NCAA Division I postseason appearances. California Baptist will turn to face either three-seed Utah Valley or two-seed Abilene Christian tomorrow evening at Hohokam Stadium. The Lancers dropped their regular season series against Utah Valley 2-1 earlier this year and picked up a 2-1 win over Abilene Christian in Texas towards the end of the season.