SILVER CITY, N.M. – While the offense was spectacular in a record-setting performance, it was Jordan Withrow’s afternoon as the junior All-American threw the sixth no-hitter in program history to defeat Western New Mexico 17-0 Friday afternoon.
Withrow’s no-hitter is the first since Jill Ratliff and Kerrie Short combined to no-hit Mary Hardin-Baylor on February 19, 2011. Withrow is the first player to throw a complete game no-hitter since Heather Russell on March 12, 1998 against Incarnate Word.
Withrow joins Russell and Caryn Holbrook as the only Tarleton pitchers with a complete game no-hitter in Tarleton history.
Her historic outing came with its fair share of drama, beginning in the first inning when two of the first three batters reached on walks. After the lead runner stole two bases, Withrow worked out of danger with back-to-back strikeouts and a fly out to get out of danger.
She sat down the next eight Mustangs in order before surrendering a pair of two-out walks in the fourth. She battled back to get a swinging strikeout to escape the jam.
With Tarleton leading 17-0, the fifth inning would prove to be the final inning of the afternoon. Withrow started the inning with a pair of strikeouts before a throwing error and a hit by pitch extended the game. Withrow persevered, however, and forced a fly ball to right to complete Tarleton history. Withrow finished with seven strikeouts in her fifth win of the season.
Meanwhile, the Tarleton offense was busy putting on quite the show as well.
Tarleton tied a program record by blasting five home runs in the game, including two from Tanna Huie. Huie’s first of the day was a two-run job in the first inning and then she followed up with a three-run jack in the second. Georgia Capell and Morgan Ling drove in one each in the second to put Tarleton up 7-0 after two.
Amanda Conner ripped a two-run single in the third to extend the lead out to nine, but Tarleton really kicked the door down in the fourth when Capell went yard for her second grand slam of the season. Three batters later, Conner and Kaylee Rodriquez went for back-to-back jacks to cap off the seven-run inning and push the lead out to 16-0.
Kristen Zuehl tacked on an RBI double in the fifth to complete Tarleton’s scoring.
Conner paced the offense with a 4-4 day at the plate with four RBI while Capell and Huie each had five RBI to combine for 10 more. Zuehl, Jessika Truax, Rodriquez, and Morgan Sebastian had one hit each to round out the 12-hit effort.
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