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STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton TexAnn softball team needed to win three games in its Lone Star Conference South Division series against Texas A&M-Kingsville to advance to the LSC Championship Tournament next weekend, and the two teams split Sunday's doubleheader to set up a very important rubber game on Monday.
Tarleton the first game 4-3 in comeback fashion while TAMUK took game two 11-0 in five innings. The TexAnns moved to 22-25 on the season and 7-9 in the LSC South while the Javelinas are 22-22 and 8-9 in division play. The winner of Monday's 11 a.m. game will advance to the postseason while the loser will close the season.
“I do think our girls will respond well to the second game's loss and come out to play well tomorrow,” said Tarleton head coach Julie Mata.
The TexAnns honored their six seniors following the first game on Sunday.
Tarleton 4, Texas A&M-Kingsville 3
The Javelinas jumped out to an early lead when they scored one run on two hits to make it 1-0 after the first inning. In the top of the third inning, the visitors then added two runs – both unearned – on just one hit, that coming from Kaycee Bryan.
Tarleton then got on the board in the bottom of the fourth frame. With one out, pitcher Julie Norris singled through the left side before Arianna Rodriguez homered to left center to cut the lead to one, 3-2. Then April Gonzalez was hit by a pitch before Brittany Terry reached on a fielder choice on a throw to second, but Gonzalez was safe as the second baseman dropped the ball. An illegal pitch advanced the runners to second and third. With two outs, Gonzalez scored on a passed ball that moved Terry to third before Tiffany Latta, who was pinch hitting, singled through the left side to score the go-ahead run from third.
In the top of the fifth, the Javelinas had the bases loaded, but Tarleton's third baseman Meagan Eldridge made a diving catch to her left to record the third out. TAMUK had two runners on in the top of the sixth and the top of the seventh, but Norris shut down the visitors and notched her 14th victory of the season.
Norris pitched all seven innings and allowed nine hits and three runs, one earned. She walked two and struck out seven.
“The girls played hard, and we got good pitching from Julie,” Mata said. “We hit the ball well, and it finally started falling when we needed them to. It was a good win.”
Texas A&M-Kingsville 11, Tarleton 0
In the nightcap, the TexAnns had just three hits against the Javelinas' Amanda Arriaga as she walked none and recorded three strikeouts.
TAMUK started off with five runs in the top of the first inning on six hits and an error against Tarleton starter Katie Smith. Arriaga helped herself out with a three run homer in the inning.
In the top of the second, the Javelinas added more runs to the board. After two runners got on the bags, Lindsey Brown homered to left center to run the total to 8-0 in favor of the visitors.
The blue and gold added three more runs on four hits in the top of the fifth to make it 11-0.
Tarleton had two runners on in the bottom of the fifth, but the TexAnns failed to get around.
Smith pitched the first two innings and gave up eight earned runs on nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Brandie Simmons pitched the final three innings and allowed three runs on six hits while she struck out two.
“We came out flat in game two, and you can not do that against an aggressive hitting team like Kingsville,” Mata said.
