May 9, 2009
Final Stats
UTEP vs. Southern Miss Box Score 
EL PASO, Texas - For the first time in the history of the program, the UTEP softball team will play for a league championship after defeating Southern Miss, 5-4, in the semifinal game of the 2009 Conference USA Softball Championship presented by Helen of Troy on Friday.
No. 7 UTEP will face top-seeded Tulsa at 12:30 p.m. at Helen of Troy Field in a nationally televised game by CBS College Sports.
Chelsea Troupe blasted an RBI-double in the final frame that scored the game winning run to lift the Miners into the final. Troupe finished the day going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Becky Smith scored three of the Miners' four runs and belted two of UTEP's eight hits. Camilla Carrera was a flawless 2-for-2 at the plate while driving in three runs.
Stacie Townsend earned her 18th victory of the season tossing her second complete game victory in as many days. She allowed four runs - three earned - on seven hits, fanned four and walked two.
UTEP opened in the game in the bottom of the first off a single by Smith. She advanced to second on a Southern Miss error. Troupe knocked down a sacrifice hit shifting Smith to third. Carrera drove Smith in with a sacrifice fly to give UTEP a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The Miners added another run in the second stanza, as Jennifer Davis reached base on Southern Miss's second error of the day. Diana Parada pinch ran for Davis and Amber Bennett drew a walk. Jennifer Stalter hit a short single between first and second that hung in the air and dropped in the gap. Parada scored on the play. Courtney Ware laid down a bunt, advancing Bennett and Stalter. Ellis sailed the ball into right field but USM's Megan Hill caught it in foul territory and threw home, forcing Bennett out for the double play.
Smith scored her second run of the day as UTEP came up with two runs in the next stanza to pull away 4-0. Troupe reached first on another Eagle error and Smith took two bases on the mistake. Carrera laced a doubled to left center plating Smith and Troupe for two RBIs. Carrera advanced to third. USM put away the rest of the Miners in order to end the inning.
USM scored three runs in the top of the fourth as UTEP committed its second error of the day getting Brandi Alonzo to base. She came home off a double by Kristin Pilgrim, scoring the Golden Eagle's first run of the game. Megan Hill banged a hard line drive to right field and advanced on the throw, sending Pilgrim to third with no outs. Ashley Razey hit the ball up the middle, plating Pilgrim and Hill to bring Southern Miss within one at 4-3. Razey was picked off on the play for the first out. Logan James grounded out to third and Lauren Castellvi lined out to short ending the threat of more runs.
Southern Miss, looking for a seventh inning comeback opened with a single to left field by Razey. Stephanie Shiflet pinch ran for Razey at first. James knocked the ball to short stop who forced out Shiflet on the play. Lauren Castellvi laced a hard hit ball to left, but UTEP's Courtney Ware was there to take it for the second out. Casey Joe Matthews replaced James at first and Brittney Jones pinch hit.
With two outs and a runner on first UTEP needed just one out to secure a trip to the title game. Jones hit a hard blast that ricocheted off of Townsend's leg to get Jones safe at first. With runners on first and second, Britney Dinelt pinch ran for Jones. Alexis Hurley hit the ball up the middle, scoring the tying run. With two outs still on the board and runners on first and second Leslie Lejune was at the plate. Lejune walked to load the bases. Townsend struck out Alanzo to end the threat.
UTEP, hoping to avoid another marathon game, was looking for some sort of answer. USM's Samantha Davis put away Shea Lodes and Ashley Ellis to start the frame. Smith hit a single to get to base. Troupe stepped to the plate and laced a double that bounced off the centerfield fence. Smith scored on the play and UTEP won 5-4 to advance.
The Miners will face Tulsa, a team that swept the three game series at Helen of Troy Field earlier in the season.
