- Box Score: Game 1

- Box Score: Game 2

DENTON – Tarleton (14-6) played a pair of extra inning games in the second day of the Texas Woman's Best Western Spring Fling and split the outings with a win over Texas-Permian Basin and an 11-inning “heartbreaker” against Central Missouri.
   
Just one day after late night action against Washburn, Tarleton faced Texas Permian-Basin in a 9 a.m. match-up and battled for a 6-5 win in extra innings.
 
UTPB struck first in the bottom of the opening frame when the Falcons worked a bases loaded walk with one away, but Tarleton starter Samantha Swanda worked out of the early jam with a strikeout and and groundout to end the threat.
 
Tarleton finally got a base runner in the third when Marcie Rodriguez worked a walk and Alex Orf singled to put two on with two away. Arianna Rodriguez immediately cleared the bases with a three-run blast to left to put Tarleton on top 3-1.
 
The Falcons tied the score in the ensuing inning with two runs on four hits to tie the game at 3-3, but stranded a pair of runners.
 
The TexAnns put together another two-out rally in the fourth when Shelby Tinklepaugh reached on a bunt single and stole second. After Kelsey Latta walked to put runners on first and second, McKaylee Pittman drove in Tinklepaugh with a base hit up the middle to give Tarleton a 4-3 advantage.
 
Tarleton added another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Swanda to plate Orf and lead 5-3.
 
The TexAnn defense struggled over the next two innings and UTPB came back to tie the game at 5-5 after six innings. Over the fifth and sixth innings, UTPB scored two runs on one hit and three Tarleton miscues.
 
“I obvisouly would have liked to play better defense,” said Tarleton head coach Julie Mata. “I know we were tired from having a very late game and then the very early game, but we can't let that be an excuse. I was proud to see us keep our head in the game and execute so well in the end.”
 
In the extra frame, Tinklepaugh moved the placed runner from second to third with one away and set up Latta's game-winning sacrifice fly to right field. Fentress, who relieved Swanda in the sixth, shut down the Falcons in the bottom of the eighth with two pop outs and a fly ball.
 
Fentress earned the win with three innings of hitless relief while striking out a pair. Swanda went five innings allowing five runs – four earned – on seven hits while striking out seven.
 
“Randi did a great job,” said Mata. “Both of our pitchers really battled and hung in there, but Randi came in and really shut down their offense in a clutch situation.”
 
Arianna recorded the only multi-hit game while Orf, Swanda, Tinklepaugh and Pittman had one hit each.
   
In the nightcap of Saturday's games, Tarleton again found themselves in extra innings but couldn't come away with the win against Central Missouri, as the Jennies scored in the bottom of the 11^th in Denton to beat the TexAnns 3-2.
 
Kirby Crow got the starting nod for Tarleton, but gave way to Fentress, who took over after the first and kept the Jenny hitters in check over the first five innings.
 
Tarleton got one in the top of the fourth, despite having the bases loaded with no outs. Orf drove in Brittney Sharp, who pinch ran for Tanner Pipkin, on a sacrifice fly to left field to give Tarleton a 1-0 lead.
 
Central Missouri cracked the scoreboard in the sixth when a single and back-to-back TexAnn errors allowed a leadoff bunt single to move all the way around and score to knot the game 1-1.
 
Both teams posted blanks over the next three innings before the TexAnns scored in the 10^th on a Mauldin double that plated Arianna.
 
The Jennies answered right back with a two-out double in the bottom of the 10^th to tie it at 2-2. After a scoreless top of the 11^th, the Jennies scored on an RBI single to the left side.
 
Fentress pitched 9.1 innings allowing three runs – none earned – on five hits while striking out nine.
 
The Tarleton offense only managed four hits on the night and they came off the bats of Arianna, Swanda, Mauldin and Amber Sotelo.
 
“This was a heartbreaker,” said Mata. “We fought hard and got a few very bad breaks, but still didn't capitalize on our opportunities. On a brighter note, though, Randi pitched lights out.”
 
Tarleton will wrap up its tournament visit to Denton Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. matchup against St. Edward's.