Battle tested for the LSC

Photo+Courtesy%3A+Tarletonsports.com

Photo Courtesy: Tarletonsports.com

Sports Writer

The Tarleton State University TexAnn softball team held a 9-4 record prior to this weekend’s games at the Texas A&M International University invitational in San Antonio, but ultimately walked away with five more losses under their belts for a total record of 9-9. The five matchups were the last of Tarleton’s non-conference schedule.

The first day of the tournament consisted of two match-ups, the first of which pitted the TexAnns against Texas A&M International. On the mound for Tarleton was freshman Haley Freeman, who entered the game with a 7-3 record as a starter this season. Freeman pitched seven innings. In the sixth, the Dust Devils managed to score three runs prior to entering the seventh inning. Savannah Stech accounted for two hits in four at-bats, along with Katelyn Conlee and Mikayla Stogsdill who tallied one hit each. Ultimately, Tarleton fell 3-0 to the Dust Devils.

Tarleton’s second match-up Friday was against the Rattlers of St. Mary’s of Texas University. In the first inning, Melody Mayse scored Tarleton’s first run of the contest courtesy of Kady Crow’s RBI that also landed Conlee on second in the process. Nyka Wood’s double to center field delivered both Conlee and Stech across home plate in the third inning (trailing 3-8 at top of the fourth). Conlee’s grounder served as the RBI that advanced Mayse across home plate for the TexAnns’ fourth and final run. Despite dual efforts from Alyssa Ringhausen (4IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER) and Shelby Headrick (2IP, 7H, 8R, 8ER), Tarleton fell to the Rattler’s by a final score of 4-10.

On the second day of the invitational, the TexAnns’ first game faced them against Oklahoma Christian University. Tarleton’s first inning offense began with Mayse’s RBI single placing Conlee on second, and Kaitlin Thomas across the diamond for the first run of the contest. Both Mayse and Conlee advanced past third base to account for three total runs for Tarleton in the first inning due to Erika Menchaca’s 2 RBI single to centerfield. After the first inning, the TexAnns gave up six unanswered runs to the Eagles in the second. Thomas and Stech posted Tarleton’s first runs since the first during the fourth inning, at which point the Eagles still led 6-5. A fielding error by the Eagles allowed Jesse Thompson to land on first base and Menchaca across home plate for Tarleton’s sixth run. Heading into the sixth inning, Tarleton led 7-6; however, two runs scored by the Eagles in the inning resulted in the TexAnns losing 8-7. Freeman (7-4, 5H, 6R, 6ER) handled pitching for the initial 5.1 innings prior to Alyssa Ringhausen serving as the relief (1.2IP, 5H, and 2R, 2ER).

St. Mary’s University of Texas faced the TexAnns during their second contest on Saturday. Both of Tarleton’s runs came in the first inning by virtue of Nyka Woods’s walk providing the RBI for Mayse to reach second, Conlee to third, and Thomas across home plate for Tarleton’s second run against the Rattlers. St. Mary’s went on to post three runs in the second, two runs in the fifth, and one in the sixth against Freeman (7-5, 6IP, 7H, 6R, 3ER) before defeating Tarleton by a score of 6-2.

Tarleton’s final matchup of the tournament was an untested opponent in the Broncos of the University of Central Oklahoma. The TexAnn pitching duties initiated with Freeman’s (7-6, 4H, 2R, 1ER) 5.1-inning effort, and proceeded with Hedrick as her relief during the fifth inning. Mayse crossed home plate in the first inning via Woods’s RBI that also landed Conlee on second and Stech on third; however, the Broncos managed one run in the first, third, and fourth innings resulting in Tarleton falling 1-3 in their final St. Mary’s invitational contest.

Coach Julie Mata’s TexAnns, now 9-9, begin their Lone Star Conference schedule at home on Friday with a 2-day series against West Texas A&M University. The first game of the series begins at 5 p.m. in the Tarleton softball complex.