Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST. LEO, Fl. – Tarleton split the opening day of the St. Leo Tournament by knocking off Missouri Science and Technology 12-2 in their first game Saturday afternoon and falling to No. 8 Tampa 8-0 in five innings in the second contest of the day.
   
The top third of the TexAnn batting order combined for seven hits and six RBIs to lead Tarleton past Missouri Science and Technology 12-2 in the opening game in the St. Leo Invitational Saturday afternoon.
 
Tarleton got on the board first in the opening frame when a leadoff error allowed Melody Mayse to reach. After a mayse stolen base, another error off the bat of Rachel Brownlow allowed the freshman outfielder to come around and score.
 
After back-to-back scoreless half innings, Missouri S&T took a 2-1 lead with a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the second.
 
Arianna Rodriguez answered for Tarleton in the next inning with a solo bomb of her own to left center to tie the game and begin a run of 11 unanswered TexAnn runs.
 
In the third inning, Tarleton loaded the bases and brought one across on a fielder's choice by Mayse. Following a double steal by Shelby Tinklepaugh and Mayse, Brownlow drove both runners home with a double to centerfield to put Tarleton up 5-2 after the top of the third.
 
After failing to score in the fifth, the TexAnns struck for a four-spot in the top of the sixth.
 
Mayse sparked the inning with a one-out triple to the right field line. After Brownlow coaxed a walk and stole second, Rodriguez drove both runners in with a 2-RBI single up the middle. The other two runs came around on an error and a bases-loaded walk by Hannah Hancock to make it 9-2.
 
The TexAnns continued to pile on the runs with another unearned run and RBIs by Bailee Mauldin and Courtney Vroman in the top of the seventh while Randi Fentress polished off her complete game victory in the circle.
 
“Randi (Fentress) and (catcher) Bailee (Mauldin) did a solid job of regrouping after giving up a couple of big hits,” said head coach Julie Mata. “I was proud of them. Arianna (Rodriguez) did a good job of hitting the ball where it was pitched and gave a us a big lift when we needed it.”
 
Fentress pitched all seven innings allowing two runs on three hits, no walks and six strikeouts. She improved to 5-2 on the season.
 
Mayse was 2-5 with four runs scored and an RBI in the leadoff spot while Brownlow was 3-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs in the two-hole. Rodriguez was 2-5 in the No. 3 spot with three runs and three RBIs.
 
Kelsey Latta also had a multi-hit game, going 2-4 with a walk and a run scored. Hancock and Mauldin also had a hit for Tarleton.
   
In the second game, Tarleton could muster only one hit as an error-filled second inning opened the floodgates for a loss to No. 8 Tampa, 8-0, in five innings.
 
“Brenna pitched very well, but we failed to get the third out a couple of times against a very talented offensive team,” said Mata. “We made some mistakes that we will learn from.”
 
The bottom of the second started with a Hennan strikeout, and after the first of three errors, the sophomore pitcher appeared to be working out of trouble when she froze a Spartan for strike three and the second out.
 
Hennan forced a groundball, which appeared to end the inning, but the second error which allowed the first run to score and the runner to reach second. Tampa then had a single and a double before the third TexAnn miscue set up the biggest blow of the game – a three-run homer.
 
Tampa added one in the third on a solo homer and the final one in the fifth to end the game early on an RBI double to left center.
 
Tarleton's only hit of the afternoon came off the bat of Amber Clifford – a single down the left field line – and Hannah Hancock coaxed a walk in the fourth for the second of the TexAnns' two total base runners.
 
Hennan went the distance for Tarleton, earning the loss, allowing eight runs – two earned – on nine hits and one walk while striking out four.
 
Tarleton will return to action with two games Sunday, beginning with tournament-host St. Leo at 11 a.m. and ending with Pittsburg State at 3 p.m.