March 13, 2010
Final Stats
Game 1 Box Score 
Game 2 Box Score
EL PASO - The UTEP softball team swept Marshall, 2-1 and 3-2, in its Conference USA opener on Saturday at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. The Miners improve to 17-8 on the season and 2-0 in league action. The series concludes at noon on Sunday.
Stacie Townsend (14-5), who was the winning pitcher in the day's opener, posted six strikeouts, scattered four hits and allowed one run.
Kelly Curran earned her first victory of 2010, tossing the final three innings of the nightcap in relief.
Marshall's Kate Murphree dropped to 8-5 with the loss and Caitlyn Jackson (3-4) took the loss in Game 2.
The Herd outhit the Miners 4-3 and both teams committed one error in the first game, but in the end, it was the Miners who came out on top, 2-1.
UTEP opened with two runs in the first inning. Kia Moore, who combined for a team-leading 3-for-5 (.600) on the day, slapped a single to second to open the bottom of the frame. Townsend walked and the pair advanced to scoring position on a passed ball.
Camilla Carrera stepped to the plate and laced a fly ball to the outfield fence, but a Marshall error spared the out and Moore scored.
An out later, Kayleigh Walts laced a single to center, driving in Townsend from second, for UTEP's final run of the game.
After going 1-2-3 in the first three frames, Marshall was able to get an offense going, as Caitlyn Jackson knocked a one-out single into right-center. Malanie Stoehr reached first on a fielder's choice with Jackson out on the play.
Stoehr was pushed to second off a base hit by Rebecca Gamby and came home when Jazmine Valle sailed the ball down the leftfield line. It was the only threat of the ball game, as UTEP's defense held on for the win.
The second game started in much the same fashion as Moore laced another single in the bottom of the first. Ware started the two-out rally, plating Moore with a single and Ashley Ellis followed, driving in Ware with UTEP's only extra base hit of the game.
Kelly Curran came up with her first win of the season in the nightcap, as the senior hurler came in relief of Courtney Auger to pitch the final three innings of the game.
Curran came into the contest in the top of the fifth after Stoher belted a triple, plating Jackson for the 2-2 tie. Curran showed poise, giving up a no-out walk, but but retired the side to end the threat.
Ware's RBI-single in the bottom of the stanza broke the tie and the Miners held on the for the 3-2 victory.
