March 15, 2008
Final Stats
UTEP vs. Tulsa Game 1 
UTEP vs. Tulsa Game 2
TULSA, Okla. - The UTEP softball team dropped its first two conference games of the season on Saturday, losing both ends of a doubleheader 5-1 and 6-4 in Oklahoma. The Miners fall to 19-8, 3-2 in conference action.
UTEP's hurlers combined for just six strikeouts on the day, a team low for a series this season. Stacie Townsend moves to 8-5 and Kelly Curran, who came in relief in the nightcap, received her first loss of the season dropping to 4-1.
Shea Lodes was the Miners offensive leader, batting .600. Lodes hit her first career home run, good for two RBI. She finished 3-for-5 from the plate.
Tulsa out batted UTEP by one hit, 15-14, and were able to convert 11 of those into runs while the Miners scored just five times and left 15 runners stranded on base.
Tulsa was quick to start, opening the first game with a 4-0 lead that included a three-run homer.
UTEP's only run of the game was off a single by Andi Zolton that fell in just behind the first and second base gap, plating Jennifer Stalter.
Zolton ended the day 3-for-7, including a Game 1 performance of 2-for-3 and an RBI.
The Miners struck first in Game 2 after back-to-back singles by Townsend and Lodes and a walk by Simone Holland loaded the bases. Camilla Carrera drew a free pass to first, plating Townsend for the RBI.
Tulsa answered back in the bottom half of the frame, scoring one run off a wild pitch. They took a 2-1 lead in the next stanza after a throwing error by the Miners allowed one run to sneak home.
The Miners came up big in the third frame as Townsend walked to first. Lodes followed with a blast over the centerfield wall to lift UTEP over Tulsa, 3-2. Carrera followed with her fifth long ball of the season an out later to give UTEP a 4-2 advantage.
The Hurricane cut UTEP's lead to one run as Tulsa's Kailey Yarmer sailed a homer over center in the bottom of the third. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases for Tulsa and the Hurricane knotted the game at four with an RBI groundout.
With one out on the board, a trio of singles by the Miners loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but all were left stranded.
Tulsa utilized a walk, two singles and two UTEP fielding errors in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Hurricane the 6-4 lead it would not relinquish.
The two teams will square off for the final game of the series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CST. The Miners return home on Tuesday, March 18 to take on the 2007 NCAA Champions, No. 8/10 Arizona in a doubleheader. First pitch is schedule for 3:00 p.m. (DH).
