STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Softball secured its first home conference series win of the season on Friday, splitting a doubleheader with Abilene Christian at the Tarleton State Softball Complex. The Texans opened the day with a 1-0 shutout victory in game one before falling 7-0 in game two, clinching the three-game WAC series 2-1 and moving to 24-17 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
Tarleton State 1, Abilene Christian 0
In the opener, the Texans leaned on another dominant outing from Shelby Schultz and scratched across the game's lone run in the fourth inning.
After both teams were held scoreless through the first three innings, Mikayla Wilson led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Casey Schultz then delivered, ripping an RBI double to center that plated Wilson and gave Tarleton State a 1-0 edge.
That would be all the run support Shelby Schultz needed. The left-hander tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits across all seven innings while striking out seven and not issuing a walk to improve to 10-4 on the year. The Texans were limited to three hits offensively, with Wilson, Hannah Reed and Casey Schultz each recording one.
Abilene Christian 7, Tarleton State 0
In game two, Abilene Christian struck early and carried that momentum to even the day.
The Wildcats jumped in front in the top of the first when Ari Maxwell doubled and Elizabeth Schaefer followed with a two-run home run to left center for a 2-0 lead. ACU added another run in the fifth on a solo homer from Maxwell to push the advantage to 3-0.
Tarleton State threatened in the fifth when Isabella Bojkovic singled and Hayden Fox doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third, but the Texans were unable to cash in.
The Wildcats broke the game open in the sixth, loading the bases before Audrey Lacina singled home a run. Ciana Arguijo then delivered a two-run double down the left field line, and Maxwell added a sacrifice fly later in the frame as ACU scored four runs in the inning to extend the lead to 7-0.
Abigail Dowell started in the circle and went 4.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five. Taylor McKean entered in relief before Alex Aguilar finished the final two innings for the Texans.
The Texans will take on North Texas on Wednesday at the Tarleton State Softball Complex with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Purple Tarleton State Softball shirts will be available to first arriving fans, while supplies last, as the Texans further prove purple is better than green.
