LAREDO – It took 18 total innings but the TexAnns got back on track with a doubleheader sweep of Texas A&M International Wednesday afternoon in a pair of nine-inning victories.
 
"I really felt like the team chemistry was clicking today," said head coach Julie Mata. "It was good to see us come out and play with some fire. We've been playing hard in the last few games, but we just haven't been able to finish. Today we fought hard to keep things going our way and we earned two good in-region wins.
 
"I can't say enough about the job our pitchers and Nyka (Wood) did today," she added. "We really threw some quality innings. Haley (Freyman) did a great job out of the bullpen and it was such a lift to get Brenna (Hennan) back. As our only senior, she really provides from invaluable leadership in our dugout. It was so nice to have her back."
  
Tarleton State snapped its skid with an extra-inning win in the opening game of Wednesday's doubleheader after putting up a three spot in the top of the ninth to take the 4-1 victory.
 
After Melody Mayse led off the game with a double to the right center gap, the teams locked into a pitcher's duel. The teams combined to have just three total baserunners over the first three innings, including Mayse and an International single that was erased on an unassisted double play by Erika Menchaca.
 
Tarleton finally broke through in the fourth inning when a walk by Katelyn Conlee and a double from Rebekah Allen set up the TexAnn offense with runners on second and third with one out. Nyka Wood plated Conlee for the first Tarleton run of the game.
 
Meanwhile, Tarleton's Brenna Hennan kept the Dustdevils shut down until the sixth inning when a walk, a single and a double brought a run in for International to tie the game at 1-1 and chase Hennan from the game after 5.2 innings. Haley Freyman came in to finish off the sixth inning with a grounder and keep the game tied.
 
After the teams posted dueling goose eggs over the next two innings, Wood was placed on second to speed the game along and – after a sacrifice bunt from Menchaca and a groundout left Tarleton in danger of stranding a runner at third – Delaney Wayland came through with a go-ahead double to left center. Tarleton tacked on two more with three straight singles from Lauren Powers, Mayse and Savannah Stech for 4-1 lead.
 
Freyman gave up a single to the first batter she faced, but got back-to-back strikeouts and a grounder to Menchaca to end the game.
 
The freshman right-hander earned the victory with 3.1 innings of relief, over which she allowed just one hit and got two strikeouts. Hennan tossed the first 5.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits with two walks and struck out three.
 
Mayse recorded her eighth multi-hit game of the season with a 2-5 day at the dish while Stech, Allen, Wood, Wayland and Taylor Fitzgerald had the rest of Tarleton's eight hits on the day.
  
It needed extra innings for Tarleton State and Texas A&M International to score the first runs of the game but Erika Menchaca put the TexAnns on top with a game-winning two-run blast in the top of the ninth for a sweep of the Dustdevils Wednesday.
 
Alyssa Ringhausen got the starting nod for the TexAnns and tossed the first four scoreless frames, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out four. The sophomore hurler was relieved in the top of the fifth by Freyman, who finished things off with the final five innings of work. The freshman allowed two runs – none earned – on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
 
While the TexAnn pitching staff was dominant over the opening seven innings, Tarleton broke through in the eighth with an RBI single by Allen for a 1-0 lead.
 
After the Dustdevils tied things up with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, Erika Menchaca stepped up and crushed a towering home run over the right field scoreboard to put the TexAnns up 3-1. International added one more in the ninth, but Freyman tossed up a groundball to the shortstop for the final out of the game.
 
Allen and Menchaca each boasted multi-hit games while Mayse, Stech, Fitzgerald and Shelby Hedrick had the rest of Tarleton's eight hits.
 
Tarleton State will return to Stephenville for the first time since February 9 Saturday afternoon to host Texas-Permian Basin at 1 p.m.