ABILENE - Tarleton State captured a 5-2 victory over Abilene Christian Friday night at Poly Wells Field after scoring three times during the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie.
The win lifted the TexAnns' season and conference records to 16-12 and 4-3, while the Wildcats fell to 18-15 and 2-5.
Tarleton Starter Randi Fentress (9-7) not only earned the win behind four strikeouts, but she also ignited her team's late-inning rally with a single through the left side vs. ACU's
Peyton Mosley (3-6). The next batter, Amber Clifford, bunted Fentress to second, and then Mosley was lifted after walking the No. 9 hitter, Kelsey Latta.
Senior
Caitlyn Crain was brought out of the bullpen to retire the top of the order, but instead gave up a RBI single to Melody Mayse that led to the go-ahead run. Two subsequent wild pitches then allowed Latta and Mayse to score.
Mayse finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. She scored her first run in the third after Arianna Rodriguez crushed her fourth home run of the season - a two-out, line-drive blast over the centerfield wall.
ACU tied the game in the fifth with a pair of unearned runs after left fielder Rachel Brownlow dropped
Lyndi Smith's fly ball with two outs.
Keanna Winkfield and
Sara Vaughn scored on the play, but Smith was left stranded at third when Fentress got
Heather Peacock to bounce one back to the circle.
Fentress retired seven of the last eight batters she faced, and got Vaughn to fly out to left to end the game with Winkfield at first base.
The two teams will conclude their three-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Each game will be broadcast live on 1280 AM KSLI and via the ACU Sports page on SkyboxLive.com.
