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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
UTEP Softball
7
Winner UTEP UTEP 1-1
0
Saint Mary's College SMC 0-3
Winner
UTEP UTEP
1-1
7
Final
0
Saint Mary's College SMC
0-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
UTEP UTEP 2 1 0 4 0 0 0 7 12 1
Saint Mary's College SMC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1

W: McKechnie, Kira (1-0) L: WHITT, Katlyn (0-1)

14
Winner Oregon ORE 5-0
0
UTEP UTEP 1-2
Winner
Oregon ORE
5-0
14
Final
0
UTEP UTEP
1-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Oregon ORE 0 3 1 7 3 14 13 1
UTEP UTEP 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1

W: Elish, Miranda (2-0) L: Cretz, Devyn (0-1)

Game Recap: Softball |

UTEP Softball Blanks Saint Mary’s College; Falls to no. 3 Oregon

TEMPE, Ariz. – UTEP split its two contests, shutting out Saint Mary's College, 7-0, in a well-rounded effort of hitting, pitching and defense in game one, while falling 14-0 [5] to the third-ranked team in the nation Oregon on Saturday in the Kajikawa Classic at the Tempe Sports Complex.
 
UTEP will conclude opening weekend against UC Davis (11:30 a.m. MT) and San Jose State (2 p.m.) on Sunday.
 
UTEP 7, Saint Mary's College 0
Seniors Kailin Ryder and Taylor Sargent connected their first home runs of 2018, while freshman Ilena Santos' first career hit came by the way of the long ball as the Miners took down Saint Mary's College, 7-0.
 
"It was a great team win," fifth-year UTEP head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. "It starts with our pitchers, they did a great job keeping their hitters off balance and making sure they didn't score any runs. Our hitters came alive today. We struggled offensively yesterday against Missouri, but that's not who we are. We got some big hits during the first inning that set the tone for the rest of the game."
 
UTEP's newest pitchers threw solid innings as junior transfer Kira McKechnie (1-0), from Fresno State, won her first collegiate game in her first collegiate start. McKechnie threw 4.1 frames, allowed only three hits and recorded a strikeout. Transfer junior Julia Wright, who made her first Division I start on Friday after being Ranger College's ace the last two seasons, threw 2.2 innings, struck out a trio of Gaels and allowed no hits.
 
Ryder went 2-for-3 with a team-high three RBI. Mariah Ellis registered a career high in hits on a 2-for-4 performance and Santos finished 2-for-3.
 
Overall, the Miners pounded out 12 hits against a Gaels pitching staff that posted a 2.65 ERA in 2017. The Miners also posted their first victory in Tempe, Ariz., since 2009 when UTEP defeated Kansas 3-1 on Feb. 6 to open the campaign.
 
Sargent, who hit first career home run at the Tempe Sports Complex during the first weekend of the 2015 season, put the Miners on the board first when she got a hold of a 1-0 pitch and sent it over left field with Courtney Clayton on base.
 
Santos then gave her squad a 3-0 advantage when she went deep over right center on a full-count toss from SMC's starting hurler Katlyn Whitt (0-1).
 
UTEP poured on four more runs during the fourth inning to take a 7-0 lead. Santos drew a one-out walk while freshman Arianna Valles singled with two outs for her first career knock. Ryder then blew the game open with a three-run bomb over center on the first pitch. Clayton, who reached base on an error, crossed the dish after junior Cortney Smith doubled on a blooper that hit the right field line.
 
The Gaels left nine baserunners on, including a bases loaded situation during the fifth. Wright forced a Hannah Chew groundout to first baseman Sargent to end the frame. SMC had a baserunner on during the third but sophomore catcher Mallorie Cross caught Nikki Alexander stealing second on a rocket to shortstop Valles.
 
The UTEP defense came up clutch as it turned two more double plays after turning a pair during Friday's season opener. The first came during the first inning when Alexander lined out to third baseman Smith and threw out Dylan Linton at first base. The second double play turned was during the fourth frame after Chew walked and Abbey Mariani hit into a 4-6-3 double play. 
 
In the bottom seventh, Wright forced a groundout to third base, struck out Alexander and Santos made a diving catch in left to end the contest.
 
UTEP 0, #3 Oregon 14 [5]
Sophomore pitcher Devyn Cretz made her first start of 2018 and got off to a solid beginning against the third-ranked Ducks. Cretz opened the contest by striking out leadoff hitter Alexis Mack looking. Speedster Mack made the USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List prior to opening day for NCAA softball. Cretz threw a scoreless first and allowed one hit.
 
But Oregon (5-0) overwhelmed the Miners (1-2) during the next four frames. The Ducks' biggest inning came during the fourth when they crossed the dish seven times to take an 11-0 lead heading into the fifth inning.
 
Mack used her blazing speed to record three singles and a stolen base.
 
The Miners recorded four hits as Cortney Smith and Mariah Ellis each tallied singles and Pamala Baber finished 2-for-2 on the night.
 
Cretz struck out a pair of batters and walked two in 4.0 innings. Her second K came against Lauren Lindvall in the third inning. Fellow sophomore Allie Johnson saw her first action of 2018, hurling an inning.
 
UTEP did, however, turn its fifth double play of the weekend. It came during the fifth inning when Ilena Santos caught a fly out in left and threw out the runner at third.
 
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