- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – Arianna Rodriguez and Samantha Swanda climbed the TexAnn all-time home run list as they lifted Tarleton (28-10, 13-2) to a 8-5 win and the sweep of Eastern New Mexico (7-28, 1-14) in Stephenville Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, Tarleton will remain atop the Lone Star Conference standings with a 13-2 conference record.
 
After a perfect first inning, Eastern New Mexico got on the board first with a suicide squeeze bunt by the cleanup hitter to give the Zias their first lead of the series at 1-0. Tarleton's Samantha Swanda worked out of trouble with a foulout and a groundout.
 
After Tarleton stranded a runner at second in the bottom of the second, Eastern New Mexico added to their lead in the top of the third with a two-spot after a bizarre play to lead off the inning.
 
With third baseman McKaylee Pittman playing in for the bunt and shortstop Arianna Rodriguez playing deep, the Zia leadoff hitter blooped one behind Pittman and in front of Rodriguez, who collided with each other without getting a glove on the ball. With no one covering second, the runner took the extra base for an infield double. The collision forced Pittman to exit the game briefly. She reentered in the fourth.
 
After a four-pitch walk and a stolen base, Eastern sent an RBI single up the middle for an RBI and a 2-0 lead. They scored again with another RBI single to lead 3-0.
 
Tarleton answered with two outs in the bottom of the third when Alex Orf kept the inning alive with a single to left field to set up back-to-back-to-back home runs by Arianna Rodriguez, Katie Welborn and Swanda to take the lead at 4-3.
 
Swanda's blast was the 12^th of the season and the 26^th of her career, which makes her two shy of holding the two-year career record for the TexAnns.
 
Eastern would not go away, however, tying the game on the second pitch of the inning with a homer to left.
 
Tarleton took advantage of some Eastern New Mexico miscues in the fourth when Pittman worked a walk and Amber Sotelo reached on a sailed throw by the ENMU catcher and advanced to third while Pittman came around to score.
 
Sotelo scored on the next batter when Orf executed a safety squeeze to push Sotelo across the plate.
 
Tarleton wasn't done in the inning as Rodriguez belted her second home run of the day with a solo shot to left field for a 7-4 TexAnn lead.
 
Rodriguez's two homers give her 14 on the season and 29 for her career, which puts her three home runs shy of being Tarleton's all-time home run leader.
 
Following the Rodriguez bomb with two outs, Tarleton loaded the bases with singles by Welborn and Swanda and a walk by Bailee Mauldin but couldn't tack on any more.
 
Swanda went back to the circle and shut down the Zias over the next two innings while the offense added one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Tammen drew a bases loaded walk to plate Rodriguez, bringing the score to 8-4 after six.
 
Eastern loaded the bases with no one out in the seventh, but Orf saved a run by getting the force at home for the first out of the inning. Swanda got a fielder's choice – which plated one more run – and a strikeout to seal the win for Tarleton.
 
The senior hurler went seven innings allowing nine hits and five runs – four earned – with seven strikeouts en route to her 15^th win of the season.
 
Tarleton was led offensively by the four home runs – just one week after setting a school record with five in a game. Rodriguez was 2-3 with two homers, three runs and three RBIs while Welborn and Swanda also had homers.
 
 Tarleton will return to action April 6 in Wichita Falls with a 4 p.m. game against Midwestern State.