STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton’s offense came to life in the first game and then Tristan Bridges set a new school record for strikeouts in a game (16) to lead Tarleton past McPherson College in a doubleheader sweep Monday afternoon.
Game 1: Tarleton 10, McPherson 1 (5)
Tanna Huie blasted off for a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to complete the early-inning victory for Tarleton. The TexAnns took the first game by a 10-1 score in five innings.
The game was tight over the first two innings as the teams stayed deadlocked in a scoreless game, but Elizabeth Svienty sparked the offense in the third with a leadoff double. After a sacrifice bunt moved Svienty to third and Huie walked, Destiny Crumpley drove in the first run of the game with a two-strike single up the middle.
Amanda Conner followed up with a RBI double to make it 2-0 Tarleton and then Karli Herron capped off the five-run inning with a three-run home run to left field.
The teams traded scoreless fourth innings and McPherson scored their lone run in the top of the fifth but Tarleton called game with another five spot in the fifth. Two hits and an error brought in one run and set Tarleton up with runners on second and third.
Georgia Capell drove in two with a two-run double to center and then Huie ended the game with the walk-off home run.
Tarleton had 11 hits in the game, led by two-hit performances from Capell, Herron, and Morgan Sebastian. Svienty, Huie, Crumpley, Conner, and Kadyn Kirkpatrick had one hit each. Herron (3), Capell (2), and Huie (2) combined for seven RBI.
Rachel Williams improved to 2-0 in the pitching circle with her first complete game victory. She tossed five innings and struck out five.
Game 2: Tarleton 2, McPherson 0
Tristan Bridges shattered a 22-year old school record by striking out 16 batters and shutting out McPherson to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Bridges had it going early as the freshman left-hander struck out first 10 batters of the game.
The Bulldogs put their first runners on with a walk and a single to lead off the fourth, but Bridges battled back to get a strikeout and a line-drive double play to dance out of danger. After striking out two more over the next two innings, Bridges ended the game by striking out the side to become the new record holder.
The offense supplied a sacrifice fly in the fifth and a RBI single from Lexi Grimaldo in the sixth to take a 2-0 lead. Grimaldo had two hits in the game while Georgia Capell, Tanna Huie, and Destiny Crumpley had one hit each.
Tarleton will hit the road Wednesday for a doubleheader at Southwestern Oklahoma at 1 p.m.
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