Box Score STEPHENVILLE – Bailee Mauldin crushed a two-out, two-run home run to left field to give Tarleton a walk-off 6-5 win over Incarnate Word on senior day Saturday and secure the TexAnns the No. 5 seed in next week's LSC Championship Tournament.
 
Tarleton began the weekend in a sixth-place tie with Abilene Christian but after sweeping the No. 7-ranked team in the region, Incarnate Word, the TexAnns have moved into fifth place and will play at 4:30 p.m. Friday against the No. 4 seed – either Angelo State or Midwestern State.
 
With Incarnate Word leading 5-4 and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Arianna Rodriguez stepped in and sent a sky-high popup out to second base – appearing to end the game.
 
The UIW infielder, however, lost track of the ball and Rodriguez reached safely to bring up Mauldin with two away.
 
Mauldin wasted no time depositing the third pitch of the at bat into the outfield bleachers for the win.
 
Tarleton got the scoring started back in the first inning when Rodriguez unloaded for a two-run homer following a Kelsey Latta one-out double to put Tarleton up 2-0.
 
The TexAnns added one more in the second on a two-out rip up the middle by Shelby Tinklepaugh to plate Randi Fentress, who led off the inning with a walk.
 
After UIW struck for a single run in the third to make it a 3-1 TexAnn lead, Latta pushed the Tarleton lead back three with an RBI single through the left side to make it 4-1 after four.
 
The Cardinals chased Fentress from the circle after touching her up for four runs in the fifth, but Katelyn Conlee came in and got a strikeout to keep the game at 5-4 Incarnate Word. They held the lead until the Mauldin blast in the seventh.
 
“Katelyn came in an gave us some clutch outs at the end and the whole team just kept fighting,” said Tarleton head coach Julie Mata.
 
Fentress pitched 4.2 innings allowing five runs on eight hits and five walks while Conlee earned her first career win with 2.1 innings of shutout relief.
 
Latta and Rodriguez each had two hits while Mauldin, Fentress, Courtney Vroman and Tinklepaugh had the rest of Tarleton's eight hits.
 
Playing their final home games today were seniors Vroman, Tinklepaugh, Hannah Hancock, McKaylee Pittman and Arianna Rodriguez.
 
“The seniors really stepped up today, and what a perfect day to do that,” said Mata. “From Courtney's big catch in right field (to keep the game at 5-4) to Shelby's big RBI hit and each senior's fundamental play, you could see they were playing with all their heart.”