STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Katy Schaefer blasted three home runs and drove in eight RBI to lead Tarleton to a doubleheader split with New Mexico State Friday night.
Game 1: NM State 8, Tarleton 5
Katy Schaefer did everything she could but the Texans couldn't overcome a rocky third and fourth innings in an 8-5 loss to New Mexico State in the series opener.
Schaefer supplied two home runs and all five RBI for Tarleton, but New Mexico State powered up eight runs on 10 hits – which included three doubles and four home runs – to create an insurmountable lead. The Aggies plated four in the third and three in the fourth before tacking on an insurance run in the seventh.
Tarleton wasn't without its chances. The Texans stranded 11 runners on base while NM State left only two. Tarleton stranded at least two runners on base in four of the first five innings, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the first.
Kelci Hill, Brady Rowland, Tristyn Trull, Kayla Wallace, and Jordan Dickerson had one hit each while Schaefer paced the offense with a two-home run day.
Grace Garcia took the loss with 2.2 innings of work while Kennedy Ferguson threw the final 4.1 innings. Both pitchers had the exact same line for the game – five hits, four runs (all earned), one walk, and two strikeouts.
Game 2: Tarleton 4, New Mexico State 2
Katy Schaefer continued to annihilate New Mexico State pitching with another home run and three RBI to lift Tristan Bridges and the Texans past the Aggies in the nightcap 4-2.
Tarleton came out swinging early in the nightcap – or rather, Schaefer continued her torrid tear at the plate. The Texan third baseman ripped her third home run of the doubleheader with a two-run shot to left to put the Texans up 2-0 after one.
In the second, the Texans added two more when Tarleton turned an Amanda DeSario single, a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch, and a Morgan Medford walk into a run with a double steal of second and home. Then Schaefer struck again for her third RBI of the game and eighth of the day to put the Texans on top 4-0 after two.
For most of the game, it proved to be more than enough for Tristan Bridges as she kept the Aggies off balance for six shutout innings before NM State cracked the run column with a two-run home run in the seventh. Bridges bounced back with a strikeout, a fly to left, and a swinging strikeout to seal the win.
Bridges won her eighth game of the season with seven innings of work. She allowed two runs on three walks and six hits while striking out five.
Tarleton had eight hits for the game with six coming from the top three in the lineup. Hill had three hits, Trull had one, and Schaefer two. Schaefer launched a home run in the game while Hill came up inches short of an inside-the-park home run, which went as a triple. Amanda DeSario and Paig Nunes had one hit each.
The Texans and Aggies will play the rubber game of the series tomorrow at noon in Stephenville.
