MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Despite a two-hit, two-RBI day from Megan Durante, Tarleton dropped its final game of the Southern Arkansas Invitational 4-3 to Newman Sunday afternoon.
 
Tarleton got on the board first when Nyka Wood led off the inning with her second double of the season. Two batters later, she moved to third on a single from Avery Mullendore to set up an RBI opportunity for Durante, who cashed in with an RBI single down the right-field line for a 1-0 Tarleton lead.
 
Haley Freyman cruised over the first three innings but ran into a speed bump in the fourth when Newman struck for three runs on three hits, the biggest of which came on a 2-run single up the middle to put Newman up 3-1.
 
The Tarleton offense answered with two of their own in the bottom half of the fourth as Amanda Conner got the offense started with a leadoff double to right. After Conner gave way to pinch runner Morgan Ling, Durant cashed in again with an RBI double into left. Durante later came around to score on a Newman error to tie things up at 3-3.
 
Newman took its final lead of the day in the ensuing half inning when a leadoff single made it around to third on an error and a passed ball before coming in to score on a groundout. The TexAnn offense couldn't answer the final run as the Jets claimed the victory.
 
Freyman took the tough luck loss despite tossing all seven innings, allowing only four hits and striking out a pair.
 
At the dish, Durante and Savannah Stech each boasted 2-for-3 days while Durante scored once and drove in two. Wood, Conner, and Mullendore had one hit each to round out Tarleton's offense.
 
The TexAnns will return to the Lone Star State for one more tournament before Lone Star Conference play begins. Tarleton will head to Grand Prairie next weekend to play in the DFW Softball Bash, beginning Friday against Oklahoma Christian at 1:30 p.m.