STEPHENVILLE – The Texans made their home debut and were nothing short of spectacular as they blasted Prairie View A&M in back-to-back shutouts Wednesday.
“We did what we needed to do today, which was pick up two wins,” said head coach Mark Cumpian. “I thought our offense took control of the first game early and never looked back. It was nice to get some run support for Tristan and let her settle in.
“In the second game, Kennedy gave us a big lift,” he continued. “I thought we were undisciplined in the box but we figured it out in the fifth and came to life. But at the end of the day, we got two wins and got to play at our beautiful new home park. We’re excited for a big weekend of softball in Stephenville.”
Game 1: Tarleton 10, Prairie View A&M 0 (5)
The battery powered Tarleton past the Panthers in the home opener as Tristan Bridges blanked Prairie View A&M and held them to only a first-inning single while Brady Rowland stepped out from behind the plate to deliver a four-RBI performance at the dish.
Austin Germain got the party started with a two-run double to left center before Rowland followed up with an RBI single. An error allowed a fourth run to come across in the opening first inning for a 4-0 Tarleton lead quickly.
The Texans answered with another four spot in the second, starting with a two-run, opposite-field double from Kelci Hill. Two batters later, Rowland followed up with a two-run double off the centerfield wall – just inches from clearing the yellow line for a long ball. Rowland added a bases-loaded walk in the third for her fourth RBI of the game.
Meanwhile, Tristan Bridges was dealing.
The senior went all five innings and allowed just one hit while walking four. She struck out six, which moves her into a tie for sixth all-time with Haley Freyman (333). She is now 16 strikeouts away from tying Samantha Swanda for No. 5 in program history (349).
Hill boasted a two-hit performance at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored while Rowland’s four RBI led the team. Katy Schaefer, Rowland , Germain, and MacKenzie Peterson rounded out the offense for the Texans.
Game 2: Tarleton 6, Prairie View A&M 0
Home runs backed Kennedy Ferguson’s shutout effort in the circle as the Texans swept the Panthers for the day with a 6-0 win.
Schaefer kicked off the offense with a RBI double to plate Austin Germain in the opening inning, but that’s all the Texans would muster through the opening four innings as the game carried into the fifth with the Texans holding a slim 1-0 lead.
Then Ashlee LaRue broke the game – and probably a softball – with a monstrous home run to right field to lead off the fifth. After a fielder’s choice and an error led to two more Tarleton runs, Katy Schaefer capped off the inning the same way LaRue started it: a thunderous long ball, this time for two runs and a 6-0 Tarleton lead.
Ultimately, the runs were a nice bonus for Kennedy Ferguson who kept the Panthers off the scoreboard for seven innings. The right-hander struck out six and allowed only three hits while not walking a single batter for her second straight win in the circle.
Germain and Schaefer had two hits each while LaRue and Jordan Dickerson had one each.
Tarleton will return to action this weekend in Stephenville when they host the Whataburger Invitational. The Texans will begin their time in the tournament at 2 p.m. Friday against Creighton.
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