Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 STEPHENVILLE – Led by a pair of home runs and a complete game pitching performance from Brenna Hennan, Tarleton salvaged the final game of the second day Tarleton's Softball Tournament with an 8-2 victory over Southern Nazarene.
 
For the tournament, Tarleton had a pair of players – Randi Fentress and Bailee Mauldin – named to the All-Tournament team. Fentress pitched the most innings of any pitchers in the tournament at 19.1 and recorded the most strikeouts (17). Mauldin went the weekend with a .400 average and four RBIs.
   
For the second consecutive game, a tough top of the first inning proved to be too much for the TexAnns to overcome as Tarleton dropped its fourth straight game in their first game Sunday afternoon.
 
The Rangers took advantage of four straight walks to open the top half of the first before cashing in with a two-RBI single to put the TexAnns in an early 0-3 hole. Tarleton starter Randi Fentress stopped the bleeding by getting a looking strikeout and swinging strikeout to retire the side.
 
Meanwhile, the offensive woes continued for the TexAnns who got only a walk and a Kelsey Latta double spread over the first three innings.
 
In fourth, however, Tarleton finally showed signs of life by loading the bases with one out but nothing would come from it as the TexAnns got a foul pop-up to third base and a looking strikeout to cut the rally short and continue to trail 3-0.
 
Northwestern extended its lead in the top of the fifth with an RBI single to make it 4-0 and in the next inning, stretched it to 6-0 with an RBI double and single in the top of the sixth.
 
Tarleton chipped away in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of runs on a 2-RBI double down the left field line by Amber Clifford, plating Miranda West and Bailee Mauldin. Mauldin reached on a leadoff single and West pinch ran for Emily Jones who drew a walk.
 
In the final frame, Tarleton tacked on one final run after an RBI single by Mauldin – bringing home Katelyn Conlee, who led off the inning with a pinch-hit double.
 
Fentress took the loss despite going the distance. The senior hurler allowed six earned runs on 10 hits and five walks while striking out six.
 
Offensively, Tarleton managed only five hits on the afternoon with Mauldin the only Tarleton hitter to record a multi-hit game – going 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI. The doubles by Latta, Clifford and Conlee were the only other hits by Tarleton.
   
After having struggled offensively through the first three games of the TexAnn Softball Invitational, Kendra Mendoza and Emily Jones ended the dry spell in a big way Sunday as they blasted game-tying and go-ahead home runs in back-to-back innings to pace Tarleton to a win.
 
The downsides of the weekend seemed to be primed to continue as Southern Nazarene struck first with a run in the opening inning but Tarleton's Brenna Hennan got a two-out grounder to end the Crimson Storm offense at one run.
 
Hennan continued to mow down the SNU lineup through the next three innings, keeping the Tarleton deficit at 0-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
Mendoza answered the offensive call for the TexAnns with a laser, line-drive home run over the left center field fence to knot the game at 1-1.
 
After Tarleton allowed Southern Nazarene to take a 2-1 lead after the top of the fifth, Jones broke the game open in the bottom half of the inning. Conlee reached on a walk and Mauldin moved her to third with a double to bring up Jones, who was making her first career start at shortstop.
 
The sophomore transfer blasted the pitch over the left center field wall to plate three more and give Tarleton a 4-2 lead.
 
In the following inning, Southern Nazarene made some noise by loading the bases with two outs and the team's leading RBI hitter at the plate. Hennan answered the call, however, by dropping a full-count curveball on the outside corner and forcing a flyball to centerfield, ending the threat.
 
The offense opened the flood gates in the bottom of the sixth when an error and a dropped third strike allowed the inning to extend.
 
Conlee drove in the first two on an RBI double to left field before an RBI groundout by Jones and a wild pitch with Conlee on third base brought the score to its final of 8-2.
 
Tarleton got six hits as a team – one each from Mayse, Conlee, Mauldin, Jones, Mendoza and Latta.
 
The TexAnns were scheduled to play in the tournament finale tomorrow, but due to potential winter weather conditions in the forecast, the final day of the TexAnn Softball Invitational was cancelled.