STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Texans netted two wins on day one of their home tournament, the Whataburger Invitational, besting Creighton and shutting out Northern Colorado on Friday.
"I'm happy with how Tristan and Grace competed and pitched complete games today," said head coach
Mark Cumpian. "Even though we struggled offensively to push runs across, we picked up 21 hits and I'm proud of the team for earning two wins on the day."
Game 1: Tarleton 3, Creighton 1
A well-rounded effort from the Texans earned their first win on day one of the Whataburger Invitational.
Tarleton struck early, as a deep RBI single to right field from
Katy Schaefer brought
Kelci Hill home. Schaefer earned three hits off four at bats to keep the Texans' offense flowing.
In the third inning, an RBI single from
Tristyn Trull scored pinch-runner
Hannah Reed to bring the Texan lead to 2-0. Schaefer sent another ball deep in the sixth, earning another RBI single, to get
Morgan Medford across home plate.
On the mound,
Tristan Bridges showed out.
The senior picked up her second win of the season, pitching all seven innings. She struck out nine, which moves her to sixth all-time with 342. Bridges is now only seven strikeouts away from tying Samantha Swanda for No. 5 in program history (349).
Game 2: Tarleton 2, Northern Colorado 0
The Texans picked up their second win of the day, led by a shutout performance by
Grace Garcia on her first career start for the Texans.
The senior right-hander was able to keep the Bears off the scoreboard for all seven innings. She struck out five and allowed only five hits, yielding no walks in her second win as a Texan.
On the offensive side, pinch hitter
Paige Nunes batted in the lone two runs in the Tarleton shutout of Northern Colorado. Her two RBI single in the fourth inning cleared the way for
Jordan Dickerson and Mackenzie Peterson score.
Redshirt sophomore Dickerson picked up a hit in all three at bats for the day while five other Texans each picked up a hit.
Tarleton will begin day two of the Whataburger Invitational on Saturday in Stephenville, where they will face Texas A&M Commerce at 11:45 a.m. and Akron at 4:15 p.m. Fans can catch both games on WAC International.