SAN ANTONIO – Tarleton State Softball dropped its tournament-opening doubleheader Friday afternoon with a 3-0 loss to Texas A&M International and a 10-4 defeat to No. 4 St. Mary's.
Game 1: Texas A&M International 3, Tarleton 0
Despite having plenty of opportunities, Tarleton State couldn't push any runs across in the first game of the Rattler Invitational as
Haley Freyman took the tough-luck loss despite a complete-game pitching performance.
Tarleton State left eight runners on base in Friday's game against the Dustdevils and was shutout for the first time this season while being held below eight hits for the second time in the first 14 games.
The teams were in an old-fashioned pitcher's duel for most of the game as Freyman and Sarah Johnson, the Dustdevil starter, were tossing up matching goose eggs over the first five innings. Freyman, a freshman right-hander from Richland, allowed just three total base runners over the first five frames on two walks and a single to keep International in check.
Meanwhile, the Tarleton offense had its chances early with runners reaching base in each of the first five innings but the TexAnns ultimately stranded all eight of their total base runners in the first five frames, including leaving a pair on the bases in three of the five innings.
Freyman was touched up briefly in the sixth, but unfortunately it was enough for the damage as a single, double and a three-run home run proved to be the difference as Tarleton failed to get on the board in the final two innings.
Savannah Stech had a 2-4 day at the dish while
Katelyn Conlee and
Mikayla Stogsdill each had one hit to round out the Tarleton offense. From the circle, Freyman dropped her record to 7-3 on the season after throwing all seven innings and surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout.
Game 2: No. 4 St. Mary's 10, Tarleton 4
First-inning woes doomed Tarleton State in the nightcap Friday as the No. 4 Rattlers scored eight runs in the first two innings – including five in the bottom of the first – which proved too much for Tarleton to overcome in a 10-4 loss.
Tarleton got on the board first, however, when
Melody Mayse led off the game with a walk and then stole second before Stech moved the speedster over to third base with a sacrifice bunt. After a Conlee walk put runners on the corners, Mayse came in to score on a
Kady Crow fielder's choice to put Tarleton on top 1-0.
The Rattlers came out swinging with a five spot in the bottom of the first and three in the bottom of the second to take an 8-1 advantage.
Tarleton scrapped back with two in the top of the third when a pair of walks came around to score when
Nyka Wood blasted a 2-RBI double into the right center gap to cut the TexAnn deficit back to five at 8-3. The Rattlers got back in the bottom of the inning, however, to send the game to the fourth at 9-3.
Each team tacked on one more run in the fifth, including an RBI groundout from Conlee in the Tarleton half of the fifth for the TexAnns' final run of the game.
Tarleton got four hits from four different TexAnns as Mayse, Rebekah Allen, Wood and
Erika Menchaca accounted for the offense.
In the circle,
Shelby Hedrick took the loss after throwing two innings and allowing eight runs on seven hits and two walks.
Alyssa Ringhausen came in and threw the final four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks.
Tarleton will be back in action tomorrow against Oklahoma Christian at 10 a.m. and another contest against No. 4 St. Mary's at 2 p.m.
