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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
UTEP Softball
0
New Mexico NM 1-7
8
Winner UTEP UTEP 2-6
New Mexico NM
1-7
0
Final
8
UTEP UTEP
2-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
New Mexico NM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
UTEP UTEP 1 0 3 0 4 8 12 0

W: Cretz, Devyn (1-2) L: RUEL (1-3)

8
Winner UTEP UTEP 3-6
7
UNLV UNLV 6-2
Winner
UTEP UTEP
3-6
8
Final
7
UNLV UNLV
6-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
UTEP UTEP 1 0 0 2 0 3 2 8 13 0
UNLV UNLV 0 0 0 4 1 0 2 7 10 1

W: Cretz, Devyn (2-2) L: PETMECKY,J. (2-1)

Game Recap: Softball |

Miners Hit Jackpot in Vegas, Wins a Pair, Defeating UNM & UNLV on Saturday


UTEP Pitchers Combine for No-Hitter as Miners Defeat UNM, 8-0 [BoxScore]

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – UTEP pitchers Devyn Cretz and Kira McKechnie combined for a no-hitter, Courtney Clayton went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored, Cortney Smith hit her third home run of 2018 and freshman Ariana Valles recorded her first career triple and RBI as the Miners defeated New Mexico, 8-0 in five frames in the early game on the second day at the Marcucci Desert Classic.

"It was a crazy game, but it's the kind of games you love," fifth-year UTEP head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. "It was a battle and I think our kids did a nice job. We went ahead and [UNLV] came back and [UTEP] did a nice job of not giving up, continued to fight and our hitters were on it."
 
"It was just a good all-around game and I think some people had good individual performances, but I think it was a great team win," fifth-year UTEP head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. "It wasn't one person who did everything, and talking about a no-hitter, two pitchers played a part in that, but we talked a lot yesterday that we are a unit and we're doing it together. We rely on each other and I think they woke up this morning and they did everything we asked them to do."
 
In the fifth inning with the score 4-0, Clayton led off the bottom half with a single up the middle, followed by Smith's two-run blast over left field. With the score 6-0 and one out, Pamala Baber was hit by a pitch to reach first. Freshman Ilena Santos then singled to set up Valles's clutch hit. And on the first pitch, Valles drove the ball to deep right that scored the game-winning runs.
 
Taylor Sargent put the Miners on the board first when she singled in Clayton in the first inning. The Miners then went up 4-0 during the third inning as Ariel Blair led off with the first of two hits on the day. Kaitlin Ryder plated Blair on a single to left, but was thrown out at second. Clayton singled for a second time and Smith reached on a fielder's choice while following with a double steal to put the runners at second and third base. With Baber at the plate, she connected with a ball hit to the Lobos' shortstop, but a throwing error paved the way for Court and Cort.
 
Cretz made her second start of the season, hurling 3.0 frames and striking out three and McKechnie tossed 2.0 innings and recorded a pair of Ks. It was the seventh no-hit effort in UTEP history, first since 2016 and first ever combined no-hitter.
 
The Miners registered 11 hits, as Blair and Smith each finished 2-for-3.

UTEP Softball Hangs on to Defeat UNLV, 8-7, in a Wild Contest [BoxScore]
 
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Just hours after UTEP defeated New Mexico behind a combined no-hitter, the Miners (3-6) came up with a huge 8-7 victory over host school UNLV (6-2) on the second day at the Marucci Desert Classic at Eller Media Stadium on Saturday night.
 
Courtney Clayton, who registered two more hits on the night after getting three against UNM, continued her monster day at the plate when she tripled in Kaitlin Ryder in the first inning to put the Miners on the scoreboard first.
 
With the score 1-0 heading to the fourth inning, Pamala Baber drew a one-out walk, the first of three for the sophomore. Kacey Duffield followed with her first hit in a UTEP uniform, a double down the right field line. A pair of freshman then gave the Miners a 3-0 lead when Ileana Santos and Ariana Valles used back-to-back RBI singles to score Baber and Duffield.
 
But the Rebels answered with a four-run fourth and added another run in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead.
 
The Miners, however, were resilient.

"I told [the team] to keep fighting," Echo-Hawk said. "We're a good team and if you keep fighting, things are going to happen and they did. We put the pressure on them and when you put pressure on other teams, it forces them to make mistakes."

In the top sixth, Baber drew her second walk of the night, while Duffield also walked. Freshman Jordyn Quevedo was inserted as a pinch runner for Duffield. Baber and Quevedo performed a double steal that set up Valles's second RBI in the contest. She drove a ball down the right line that plated Baber. Then with two outs, Ryder took the first pitch off relief pitcher Janine Petmecky up the middle to center that scored Quevedo and Valles to take a 6-5 lead.
 
In the top seventh, the Miners tacked on insurance runs. Baber drew her second one-out walk and third overall of the night, Duffield singled to right field and Santos singled to load the bases. Valles then put the ball into play as UNLV's shortstop Samantha Diaz committed an error that scored Baber. The Miners then took an 8-5 lead when Ariel Blair used a bunt that scored Duffield.
 
The Rebels made things interesting when Diaz connected on a two-run, one-out home run. The Rebels put two more runners at the corners with two outs, but relief pitcher Devyn Cretz forced a groundout to Valles that put the game in the books.
 
Cretz (2-2) threw 3.0 innings, walking none and striking out a batter for her second win of the day. Julia Wright made the start and hurled 3.0 frames and tallied two K's. Kira McKechnie, who was part of that combined no-hitter earlier on Saturday, threw one inning.
 
The Miners amassed 13 hits, led by Ryder (3-for-5) and Valles (3-for-4). Baber scored three runs and drew three walks, while Duffield (2-for-3) and Santos (2-for-4) each recorded a pair of knocks. Blair registered three hits during the two victories.

Clayton is now 10 RBI away from 100 in her career, ranking eighth on UTEP's all-time list. She also has 190 career hits, 10 from tying Stacie Townsend for third on the all-time list.
 
UTEP also turned its seventh double play of the season to end the sixth inning. The victory was the second against UNLV and first since defeating the Rebels 6-0 on Feb. 19, 2016.

 
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