STEPHENVILLE – The final day of the Whataburger Invitational proved to be a tough battle as the Texans fell 9-8 to the Akron Zips.
The second go-around with the Zips saw Shelby Schultz earn her fourth start of the season in the circle and her sixth appearance overall.
Akron wasted no time getting things going as they put up a four-spot in the top of the first before the Texans responded in the second.
The Zips scored their first three runs off the long ball as Sydney Selker launched a three-run homer to right field making it 3-0. Then with Alexis Campbell on, Katie Cantrell doubled down the right field line scoring Campbell to push the lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the second, JJ Duke notched another first of her young collegiate career as she sent a solo shot over the left field wall to cut the deficit to three making it 4-1.
The third inning went scoreless for both sides before the Texans exploded in the bottom of the fourth with a six-spot to take the 7-4 lead.
With Hannah Reed and Bella Hernandez on, Austin Germain singled to left field scoring Hernandez to make it 4-2.
After a pitching change for the Zips, Tarleton State loaded them up for Kalyn Hill with two outs. She took full advantage of the opportunity blasting a bases clearing double to right center to give the Texans their first lead of the day, 5-4.
Still two outs on the board, Casey Schultz traded spots with Hill hitting her own double to right center scoring the senior from Murrieta, California, to make the lead 6-4 in the fourth.
After scoring the first run of the six-run explosion, Hernandez stepped in the box and singled to left field scoring Schultz making it 7-4.
With a six-spot from the Texans, the Zips wasted no time answering with a load of runs of their own with a five-spot in the top of the fifth.
Abigail Scheller hit a sac fly to center field scoring Selker as the lead was cut to two, 7-5. Akron then loaded the bases for Meagan Lee as she tripled to right field scoring Brooke Sivek, Andrea Day and Campbell as they took the lead back 8-7. Lily Sullivan singled up the middle pushing Lee across as the road team went up 9-7.
In the bottom of the fifth with Haley Hughes on, Tristyn Trull smashed her second triple of the year to make it 9-8.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Hughes sent a shot to left center for her first double as a Texan putting the tying run in scoring position and the winning run at the plate. After a pitching change for Akron, Trull battled at the plate before she grounded out to second ending the game.
For Tarleton State, Mark Cumpian used just a pair of arms in freshman Schultz and senior Alexa Rehmeier. Schultz went four innings as she gave up six runs (all earned) on six hits while she struck out a career-high eight and walked five. She has now struck out at least seven in every one of her starts and has struck out a total of 36 thus far this season. Rehmeier (L, 1-1) tossed the final three innings in her fifth appearance of the season as she gave up three runs (all earned) on four hits and walked two.
For Akron, they used four different arms in the circle. Madde Lee went 3.1 IP as she gave up four runs (all earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out three. Selker went just a third of an inning as she gave up three runs (all earned) on two hits while walking two and sitting down one. Madie Jamrog (W, 2-1) went three innings giving up just a single run (earned) on four hits as she struck out four and walked one. Macy Walters (S, 1) got the final out for the Texans need to go just a third of an inning as she allowed no runs on no hits.
The Texans are set to return to action on Thursday as Tarleton State will host their third and final tournament of the 2025 season as they will welcome New Mexico, North Dakota and Texas Southern to town for a four-day Tarleton Invitational Thursday-Sunday.
Be the first to comment