STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Softball's perfect start continued on the first day of the Texans' annual Whataburger Invitational on Friday. The Texans improved to 7-0 to start their 2026 campaign, with a pair of wins on Friday at the Tarleton State Softball Complex in their home-opening games.
 
In the first game, the Texans combined for nine runs over their final three offensive innings to beat South Dakota State (7-3) 12-7, then they scored 13 runs over their final four innings to run-rule Colgate (3-4) in six innings 14-5.
 
Already with their best start to a season since 2022 (10-0), the Texans have now outscored their opponents 79-35 in the early going, winning by an average margin of 6.3 runs.
 
Tarleton State 12, South Dakota State 7
 
It was a great crowd in Tarleton State's home opener of the 2026 campaign, with 557 in attendance on a clear and mild Friday afternoon in mid-February.
 
The Jack Rabbits struck first after winning the first game of the Whataburger Invitational over Stephen F. Austin 9-7, capitalizing on an early walk with an RBI double to make it 1-0 South Dakota State. Tarleton State quickly responded in the bottom half of the first with a Macie Vickers RBI groundout to score Hayden Fox.
 
The Texans took the lead in the second on an Addison Wittram sacrifice fly to score Mikaila Gilliland. This time the Jack Rabbits responded, re-tying the game on a Braylin Pannill error. Pannill responded herself in the bottom half of the third, making up for the run by scoring one herself on a sac fly.
 
Leading 3-2 entering the fourth inning, Tarleton State scored four in the frame, with a Mikayla Wilson RBI single, a Vickers RBI single that ended up plating two, and a Madison Runyan RBI single. The Texans added another in the fifth on a Fox RBI single to make it 8-2.
 
The Jack Rabbits halved their deficit with three in the sixth, hitting two home runs to chase Texan starter Shelby Schultz out of the game, and an RBI single later. The Texans followed with four runs in the bottom half, with a pair of two RBI singles by Wittram and Fox. The Jack Rabbits added two in the seventh, but it wasn't enough to complete a comeback.
 
Fox and Wittram each had three RBI in the game, with Fox going 3-for-4, scoring two runs. Wittram went 2-for 2 with a walk, scoring three runs. Vickers had two RBI in the game, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Wilson went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs. Pannill went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run.
 
Schultz improved to 2-0, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits, one walk, a hit by pitch and two strikeouts in 5.1 IP. Sadie Beck allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk in 0.2 IP, and Alex Aguilar allowed no runs on one hit in an inning of relief.
 
South Dakota State's Akayla Barnard took the loss to drop to 1-1, allowing seven earned runs on six hits, two walks and two hit by pitches in 3.2 IP.
 
Tarleton State 14, Colgate 5 (6)
 
Although the early-going was tight, the nightcap was never really in question, with Tarleton State blowing the door open late, including a walk-off two-run home run to end the game in run-rule fashion in the sixth inning.
 
Vickers had five RBI in this one, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Jaelynn Duke added three RBI, going 2-for-4 with a run. Isabella Bojkovic had two RBI, going 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs. Mariah Debose had two RBI with two runs scored, and Wilson added an RBI on 2-for-3 batting with a walk and two runs scored. Fox scored four runs thanks to a 2-for-2 with two walks game at the plate.
 
Taylor McKean improved to 2-0 on the year, going 4.1 IP in her start for the Texans. She allowed five earned runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batter, with two strikeouts. Gracie Riney allowed no runs and no hits in 1.2 innings of relief, walking a pair with two strikeouts.
 
The Raiders struck first Friday evening with a solo home run in the opening frame. Tarleton State tied it in the bottom half thanks to a Colgate error.
 
The Raiders responded with one in the second, then Tarleton State swung a one-run deficit to a one-run lead on a Duke two-run blast in the third inning.
 
The Texans scored six runs in the fourth inning to make it eight unanswered. Debose doubled down the left field line to score two, then Vickers doubled to left center to score three. Duke doubled to score the sixth run of the inning.
 
Colgate fought back with a three-run blast in the fifth inning, which were all accounted for in the bottom half, on a Wilson RBI single and Vickers two RBI triple. Bojkovic sent everyone home with a two-run walk-off home run in the sixth inning.
 
Colgate's Alexa Acker took the loss to drop to 1-2. She allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 3.1 IP.
 
Due to forecasted rain on Saturday, the Whataburger Invitational lineup has been changed for a second time. Now on Saturday, there will be just two games scheduled, starting at 5 p.m. South Dakota State and Colgate will open the action at that time at the Tarleton State Softball Complex. At 7:30 p.m., Tarleton State and Colgate will rematch. The once-scheduled 2 p.m. game between Stephen F. Austin and South Dakota State has been canceled and will not be made up.