No. 14 Tarleton takes care of Texas A&M International, Minnesota-Duluth in tournament finale

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CONROE – Tarleton swept the final day of the Winter Invitational, hosted by Arkansas Tech, at the ScrapYards Sunday afternoon for their fourth and fifth consecutive wins.

“We struggled a little bit this weekend, but we battled and found a way to win five games this weekend against very good teams,” said Mark Cumpian. “I’m proud of the way this group fought this weekend because finding a way to grind out victories when you aren’t at your very best is how you build character. We’ll get back to work this week and get ready for another good tournament in San Antonio next weekend.”

Game 1: No. 14 Tarleton 6, Texas A&M International 0

Julia Wernet danced out of danger in three of her seven innings of work and kept Texas A&M International off the scoreboard in her first career shutout Sunday afternoon at the ScrapYards.

The sophomore righty from West started off a little rocky by allowing a leadoff double and single with a stolen base to set the Dustdevils up with runners on second and third with no one out right off the bat.

She answered back in a big way to set the tone for the rest of the game.

Wernet got a looking strikeout and back-to-back ground balls to keep the Dustdevils off the board in the first. Her offense went to work in the bottom half with a single, an error and three straight walks to give her a 2-0 cushion heading into the second.

After cruising through the second, International threatened again in the third with another leadoff single and double. Wernet got back-to-back ground balls to third base, keeping the runs at bay. After a walk loaded the bases, Wernet got a strikeout to end the threat.

An inning and a half later, the Tarleton offense extended the lead when Destiny Crumpley brought a run home with a bases-loaded hit by pitch and Morgan Ling tacked on another with a bases-loaded walk for a 4-0 lead.

Wernet worked around a two-out single in the top of the sixth and the offense answered with two more in the bottom half, starting with a leadoff double from Georgia Capell. Karli Herron kept the inning alive with a two-out walk and Amanda Conner made the Dustdevils pay with a two-out, two-RBI double to the left-center gap for the final runs of the day.

International loaded the bases for the second time on the day in the seventh, but Wernet got a ground ball to end the threat and keep the shutout intact. She allowed 10 hits and a walk while striking out three for her second win of the season.

Capell paced the offense with a two-hit performance to go along with two runs scored. Elizabeth Svienty, Tanna Huie, Conner, Ling, and Lexi Grimaldo each had one hit to round out the team’s seven-hit attack.

Game 2: No. 14 Tarleton 3, Minnesota-Duluth 1

Tarleton found ways to score when it needed to in support of Tristan Bridges, who improved to 2-1 on the season a complete-game victory over Minnesota-Duluth to close out the Winter Invitational at the ScrapYards Sunday.

Tarleton cracked the run column first when Tanna Huie cashed in a pair of a one-out rip past the diving second baseman. The Huie singled plated Lexi Grimaldo, who led off the inning with a double, and Elizabeth Svienty, who reached on a bunt single and moved to second on a wild pitch, for a 2-0 Tarleton lead.

The Bulldogs answered back with one in the fourth to cut the lead in half and threatened in each of the next two frames, but Bridges stranded two runners in the fifth and one in the sixth to keep Tarleton on top after five and a half.

The offense provided an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Morgan Ling, Kristen Zuehl, and Lexi Grimaldo all singled to load the bases and Georgia Capell battled through an eight-pitch at bat to work a RBI walk for the 3-1 lead.

Bridges shut the Bulldogs down in the seventh to earn the second win of her career. She struck out a career-high seven.

Elizabeth Svienty, Tanna Huie, and Grimaldo each had two hits while Zuehl and Ling had one each to round out Tarleton’s eight-hit effort.

The TexAnns will return to action at the St. Mary’s College Classic in San Antonio next weekend.

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