STEPHENVILLE – The sky wasn't the only thing bringing the thunder Saturday afternoon as Tarleton State blasted Texas A&M-Kingsville 17-2 in the first game before weather brought the second game to a halt in the bottom of the fourth.
 
After Haley Freyman sat the Javelinas down in order in the opening frame, her Javelina counterpart got two quick outs before a walk to Katelyn Conlee started her downfall.
 
Nyka Wood stepped into the box and battled Kingsville's Carlie Clark to the tune of 13 pitches before the TexAnn freshman catcher crushed the 14^th pitch of the at bat to deep left center for a two-run home run and the first runs of the game for Tarleton. Three pitches later, Erika Menchaca followed suit with a solo shot of her own to make it 3-0.
 
The TexAnns weren't done yet, however, as Rebekah Allen kept the inning alive by taking a hit by pitch and forcing Clark out of the game. Mikayla Stogsdill welcomed the new pitcher with an infield single before Delaney Wayland ripped an RBI single past the third baseman for a 4-0 advantage. After an infield single from Lauren Powers, Melody Mayse lined an RBI single into center for the final run of the inning and a 5-0 lead after one.
 
Freyman mowed the Javelinas down once again before Katelyn Conlee teed off on the Kingsville right-hander with a leadoff home run off the top of the left center scoreboard.
 
Tarleton would go on to add one more in the second inning on a Kingsville error before adding three in the third on an RBI single from Conlee and a 2-RBI double to straight away center from Wood to stretch the lead to double figures entering the top of the fourth.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville cracked the scoreboard with two in the fourth but Tarleton State responded with its biggest inning of the day by putting seven on the board. Tarleton got RBIs from Stech, Wood, Menchaca, Allen and two from Mayse to go along with an unearned run on a Javelina error to score seven runs on six hits and push the lead to 17-2.
 
Freyman allowed a leadoff single in the fifth before retiring the side and winning her 17^th game of the season. The freshman tossed her ninth complete game allowing two runs on six hits and a walk.
 
Wood was a perfect 4-4 at the dish with a run scored an five RBIs while Mayse and Wayland each went 3-4 at the plate. Conlee, Menchaca, Stogsdill and Powers each had two hits to round out the Tarleton 18-hit explosion.
 
In the second game, Kingsville jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first but Tarleton started to chip away with two in the third and had Menchaca at second base with one out when the game was brought to a halt by the weather.
 
The teams will finish the rest of game two tomorrow at 1 p.m. before beginning their final home doubleheader of the season. The TexAnns will honor their lone senior, Brenna Hennan, after all of the action tomorrow evening and the Texan Club will be serving free hot dogs and giving away T-Shirts following the completion of the rest of game two.