KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – Visiting Tarleton State swept a doubleheader from Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday in Lone Star Conference softball action, 3-0 and 4-3 in eight innings.

The TexAnns (19-7, 5-0) scored a pair of unearned runs off Javelina (9-14, 0-5) starting pitcher Lindsey Brown (Spring/Spring HS) and got a solo home run from Arianna Rodriguez in the top of the sixth inning.

The Javelinas put runners in scoring position in four different innings, but never got the clutch hit off TSU pitcher Samantha Swanda. Swanda improved to 10-2 on the season by tossing a 2-hit shutout while walking five a striking out seven. Brown allowed six hits and two walks while striking out a career high 11 batters.

The second game proved to be a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands a number of times. The TexAnns scored in the top of the first inning on a Katie Welborn run-scoring double, the first of three doubles in the game for Welborn. The Javelinas responded in the bottom of the first inning when Kaylee Villanueva (Corpus Christi/Moody HS) drove in Kaycee Bryan (Splendora/Splendora HS) with a two-out single.

The Javelinas took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Roxanne Rodriguez (Portland/Gregory-Portland HS) led off with a double and came around to score on Amber Cherry’s (Splendora/Splendora HS) two-out single.

The TexAnns evened the score at 2-2 in the top of the third when Welborn and Swanda hit back-to-back doubles after two outs were made.

The Javelinas squandered chances to reclaim the lead in the next two innings. In the bottom of the third, Randi Fentress walked the bases loaded with two outs, but was able to get out of the jam. In the bottom of the fourth, Cherry led off with a single and moved up to second on a sacrifice, but was left stranded.

Tarleton State reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth inning when Alexandria Orf led off with a solo home run. It looked like the TexAnns were going to add more runs when they loaded the bases with only one out, but Denise Arnold (Katy/Katy HS) was able to escape without further harm.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Javelinas had runners on first and second with two outs and two strikes on pinch-hitter Ali Bodnar (Las Vegas, NV/Green Valley HS) who came through with an infield single that scored a run when the attempted throw to first base went wild.

The TexAnns bounced back in the top of the eighth inning to score the game-winning run. A pair of singles and a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Heather Hancock provided the winning margin.

The Javelinas put a pair of runners on base in the bottom half of the inning, but could not score.

Fentress improved to 9-3 on the season after pitching a complete game allowing 10 hits, seven walks and two earned runs while striking out 11. Arnold took the loss after allowing nine hits, four runs and four walks while striking out three.

Cherry finished with three hits and an RBI for the Javelinas. Rodriguez went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run scored.

The two teams finish up their series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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