Box Score ABILENE – After Randi Fentress kept the Abilene Christian offense in check, Tarleton broke through for three unanswered runs in the top of the seventh to secure a 5-2 road win over the Wildcats Friday to open a three-game set.
 
“Randi (Fentress) and Bailee (Mauldin) did a really good job tonight with a team that has been putting up a lot of runs,” said Tarleton head coach Julie Mata. “Arianna (Rodriguez) had a big blast for us and the difference was using smart baserunning to our advantage.”
 
Tarleton got on the board first in the third when Arianna Rodriguez bought a one-way ticket to Souvenir City with a full count home run to dead center field to Tarleton up 2-0. The bomb plated Rodriguez and Melody Mayse, who singled and stole second.
 
ACU tied the game with two outs in the fifth when a dropped fly ball allowed a pair of runs to cross the plate.
 
Both teams remained scoreless until the final frame when the TexAnns struck.
 
Fentress led off the inning with a base knock to left field. She was pinch ran for by Lauren Grisham and moved to second by a sacrifice bunt from Amber Clifford.
 
After pinch hitter Hannah Hancock walked, ACU made a pitching change and Tarleton's Mayse took advantage by lacing a base hit to center field to plate Grisham from second for the go-ahead run.
 
Tarleton added two more runs on two ACU errors and Fentress shut down the Wildcats in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.
 
Fentress earned the win after going all seven innings, allowing two runs – none earned – on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
 
Tarleton mustered six hits as a team with Mayse (2-4) and Fentress (2-3) recording multi-hit games. Rodriguez and Rachel Brownlow had the other two hits.
 
The series will wrap up tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Poly Wells Fields in Abilene.