DURANT, OK – The 2018 team is in elite company among past Tarleton softball teams as the TexAnns became the fourth team in program history to open a season 4-0 after pounding Rockhurst and Oklahoma Christian by a combined score of 16-1 in a doubleheader sweep Saturday.
 
Prior to today, only the 2001 (4-0), 2002 (6-0), and the 2004 (6-0) TexAnn Softball teams had started a season with at least four consecutive victories.
 
"Today was another total team effort," said head coach Mark Cumpian. "We were able to create runs offensively and the pitching of Haley Freyman and Megan Rosewell let our defense continue to make play behind them. Now we need to continue to stay focused and bring the same intent into tomorrow's games against two very good opponents."
   
Megan Rosewell made her Tarleton debut and dazzled from the pitching circle with a complete-game victory over Rockhurst.
 
Tarleton got the scoring started in the first when two straight walks and a sacrifice fly from Megan Durante allowed Meghann Wrinkle to cross the plate for a 1-0 lead. After Rockhurst answered back with one in the second, Tarleton went to work in the bottom of the third.
 
Nyka Wood led off the third with a double and got to walk the rest of the way around the bases when Georgia Capell teed off for her first career home run to put Tarleton back on top 3-1. After Tanna Huie and Karli Herron reached, Marisa Flores cashed in with an RBI single to plate Huie for the third run of the inning and a 4-1 lead.
 
Tarleton wouldn't stop there.
 
With two on and two outs, Amanda Conner welcomed a new pitcher into the game with arguably the least hospitable at bat possible – a three-run, pinch-hit jack – to cap off a six-run inning and give the TexAnns a 7-1 lead.
 
That's all Rosewell needed as the senior from Grapevine polished off a complete game allowing seven hits and one run while striking out four. Meanwhile, the offense totaled nine hits led by two-hit performances from Wood and Flores. Kaitlyn Thomas, Conner, Wrinkle, Capell, and Huie had one hit each to round out the offense.
   
In the nightcap, Tarleton took advantage of almost every offensive opportunity while Haley Freyman did Haley Freyman things en route to a 9-0, five-inning shutout of Oklahoma Christian.
 
With the complete game shutout, Freyman now boasts 11 in her illustrious TexAnn career and she is now just one shutout away from tying Jill Ratliff for the second-most pitching blanks in TexAnn history.
 
The senior right-hander allowed three hits and two walks en route to her second win of the season and the 65^th of her career. Every Freyman win this season will distance herself farther as the school's all-time wins leader.
 
Meanwhile, Tarleton got nine RBI from three different players including a two-run home run from Karli Herron in the bottom of the fifth to walk it off early. Her home run came with one out and Kaitlyn Thomas on first. Thomas pinch ran for Megan Durante, who walked.
 
Morgan Ling led the way offensively with a 2-2 day at the dish with four RBI and a run scored. The sophomore from Waco laced a two-RBI single to right to start the scoring in the second and added another two-run single to right center in the third.
 
Meghann Wrinkle also chipped in a trio of RBI when the senior went yard in Tarleton's five-run second inning with a three-run home run to plate Maddie Quintanar, Ling, and herself.
 
Wrinkle and Ling each had two hits while Quintanar, Nyka Wood, Huie, and Herron had one hit each to round out the eight-hit attack.
 
Tarleton will close out its season-opening tournament tomorrow in Durant, beginning at 9:30 a.m. against East Central and ending at 12 p.m. against Southeastern Oklahoma.