STEPHENVILLE, Texas -- Midwestern State junior Katelyn Vinson belted her team-best 10th homer of the season in Game 1 Monday night at the TSU Softball Complex.

But it wasn't enough to overcome a fast start by Tarleton State as the TexAnns rolled to a 6-3 Lone Star Conference win to improve to 15-12 on the season and 2-3 in league play.

The teams play the final game of the four-game set later tonight.

Vinson struck for her 45th career homer with one out in the seventh inning to pull the Mustangs to within three runs.

Midwestern used the extra-base hit to plate single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Sophomore Taylor Bermudes stroked a one-out double to left field in the fourth before coming around to score on junior outfielder Paige Stevens' run-scoring single up the middle to pull MSU  to within 2-1.

Senior shortstop Katy Vandewater drilled a two-out double to the left-field gap to plate junior outfielder Hayley Howerton in the fifth.

It wasn't enough to offset a strong performance from the top of TSU's order as Kaitlyn Thomas, Savannah Stech, Melody Mayse and Katelyn Conlee combined to go 11-of-15 with four runs and five RBIs.

Midwestern sophomore Erin Knox took the loss to fall to 5-4 allowing five earned runs on 12 hits in the complete-game effort.

Howerton and Vandewater had two hits each for the Mustangs, who fell to 16-12 and 3-8.