SAN ANTONIO – Tarleton picked up right where it left off last weekend by sweeping the opening day of the St. Mary's College Classic Friday against St. Edward's and Colorado Mines.
Game 1: No. 14 Tarleton 15, St. Edward's 3 (5)
No. 14 Tarleton wasted no time in getting the offense rolling this weekend as the TexAnns scored more runs in the opening game of the St. Mary's Classic than in the first four games of the season – putting a 15-3 shellacking on St. Edward's Friday afternoon.
Tarleton started the game by loading the bases before an error from St. Ed's allowed the first run to come across and open the flood gates.
Karli Herron followed up with a bases-loaded walk and, two batters later,
Morgan Ling drove in the third run of the game with a two-run single up the middle.
After a
Kadyn Kirkpatrick walk re-loaded the bases,
Lexi Grimaldo drove in one more with an RBI single of her own for a 5-0 Tarleton lead that chased the Hilltopper starter from the pitching circle.
The new pitcher started her outing the same way as the original hurler – by hitting
Georgia Capell. This Capell hit-by-pitch plated an RBI and set up a bases-clearing double from
Elizabeth Svienty for a 9-0 Tarleton lead.
Another error allowed the inning to continue and Tarleton tacked on four more on a
Tanna Huie sacrifice fly and a three-run home run by
Destiny Crumpley to cap off a 13-run first inning. Tarleton plated 13 runs on five hits and three errors in the opening frame.
After St. Edward's scored one run in their half of the first, Svienty got it right back for Tarleton with an RBI double to left for her career-best fourth RBI of the game. Tarleton would add its final run of the game in the fifth on an RBI single from
Morgan Sebastian while St. Edward's added one in the third and one in the fifth to round out all the scoring for the game.
Svienty enjoyed a career day at the dish, tying her career high with three hits and setting a new personal best with four RBI. She also scored two runs. Grimaldo and Ling each had two hits while Capell, Huie,
Jessica Lee,
Kristen Zuehl, Crumpley,
Kaylee Rodriquez, and Sebastian all had one hit each to cap off the 14-hit explosion.
Jordan Withrow got the start and threw the first inning before giving way to
Julia Wernet, who pitched the final four and earned her third win of the season in relief. Wernet allowed two unearned runs on three hits while striking out one.
Game 2: No. 14 Tarleton 5, Colorado Mines 3
Tarleton survived a scare by scoring five unanswered runs to erase an early 3-0 deficit in the nightcap Friday to beat Colorado Mines 5-3.
Mines scored three runs – only one earned – in three of the first four innings to take a 3-0 lead, but Tarleton's offense came to life with a two-out rally in the fourth.
With
Gracie King on first after pinch-running for
Destiny Crumpley,
Amanda Conner ripped a single to left.
Jessica Lee followed up with an RBI single up the middle to plate King from second.
Georgia Capell capped off the inning with a two-run single through the left side that tied things up at 3-3 after four.
After
Rachel Williams came out of the bullpen and gave Tarleton a shutdown inning in the top of the fifth, the offense capitalized on a Mines error when Conner reached on a two-out throwing error that allowed the go-ahead runs to come across for Tarleton.
Williams sat down the next four consecutive batters before giving way to
Jordan Withrow out of the bullpen with one out in the seventh. A walk and an error made things interesting but Withrow locked up her second save of the season with a strikeout and a flyball to right for the win.
Williams earned the win with 2.1 innings of work out of the bullpen, over which she struck out three and only allowed one walk to reach. She came on in relief of
Tristan Bridges, who went the first four innings, allowing three runs – one earned – while striking out two.
Capell paced the offense with a two-hit, two-RBI performance while Grimaldo also enjoyed a two-hit performance. Lee and Conner had one hit each to round out the team's six-hit effort.
Tarleton will get back to action tomorrow with a 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. doubleheader against New Mexico Highlands and Regis. The game against New Mexico Highlands will be played on Field Two and will not have live stats or video. The game against Regis will be on Field One and will operate with stats and video.
