STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Softball opened postseason play with a 5-2 victory over Utah Tech in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 WAC Softball Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Tarleton State Softball Complex. With the win, the Texans improved to 36-21 overall and advanced to the tournament semifinals.
After earning a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, Tarleton used an early offensive surge and a dominant outing in the circle from Shelby Schultz to secure its first postseason win of the year.
The Texans wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first. After Mariah Debose singled to center field, Mikayla Wilson ripped an RBI double to left center to score the game's first run.
Macie Vickers stepped up next and singled to put runners on the corners. Jaelynn Duke then brought home another run with a sacrifice fly to right field to take a 2-0 lead in the opening frame.
Tarleton State added to its advantage with a three-run third inning. Wilson singled to begin the rally before Vickers reached on a fielder's choice that moved Wilson into scoring position. Wilson immediately advanced to third on a fielding error, putting runners on the corners yet again.
Duke then reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Wilson to score after another Utah Tech error, extending the lead to 3-0. Casey Schultz followed with a single, and Hayden Fox drove in a run with an RBI single to center field.
Later in the inning, Madison Runyan drew a walk to load the bases before Braylin Pannill worked an RBI walk to push the Texans' lead to 5-0.
Utah Tech answered in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 5-2. That would be the only offense the Trailblazers could generate against Shelby Schultz and the Texan defense.
Shelby Schultz earned her 18th victory of the season after tossing another complete game for the Purple and White. The sophomore left-hander allowed just one hit and two runs while striking out eight across seven innings of work.
Tarleton State totaled six hits in the win, led by Wilson's two-hit performance. Fox collected an RBI single, while Duke and Pannill each drove in runs. The Texans also showed patience at the plate, drawing three walks and capitalizing on Utah Tech miscues early in the game.
The Texans will continue postseason play in the WAC Tournament semifinals on Friday at the Tarleton State Softball Complex, taking on first-ranked CBU at 12 p.m.
