EL PASO – UTEP softball picked up two home wins to open the 2023 UTEP Invitational Friday night at Helen of Troy Field. The Miners (6-5) shredded 10 hits in a 12-4 [6] run-rule victory over CSU Bakersfield and followed with an 8-6 win against Kansas City.
G1: Kaylee Hewitt (1-0) picked up her first win in her first game start as a Miner. She hurled 5.0 innings and struck out three of the 23 batters faced.
G2: Aalijah Alarcon (3-2) came in relief for Zaylie Calderon after three complete and only allowed one run on four hits out of the 18 batters faced.
GAME 1 | UTEP 12, CSU Bakersfield 4
Bakersfield would strike first in the top of the second as Martinez scored on a Natalya Rodriguez groundout to second putting the `Runners up 1-0.
UTEP answered back in the bottom of the frame with a two-run home run to left center field from Ashlynn Allen. The Miners added two more after Lexi Morales singled up the middle scoring Rylan Dooner and Pate Cathey. The Roadrunners plated three runs on four hits in the bottom of the third. Savanna Montoya and Karissa Munsey singled then later scored on a Rodriguez double to right center. Kaia Johnson singled to shortstop bringing in Rodriguez to knot the game up at four.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Miners brought the boom as they jumped out in front 5-4 with a solo shot to centerfield courtesy of Idalis Mendez. UTEP hammered out six more runs to stretch the lead. Allen drew up a walk, swiped second and was placed on third from Dooner's single to center field. Caitlyn Brockway came up to the plate for Marijn Crouwel and reached on a fielder's choice to advance Dooner, but Allen was caught at home. Cathey drew a seven-pitch walk to load the bases and Morales' single over the pitcher plated Dooner. Savannah Favre came in clutch with a base-clearing triple to right center for the 10-4 lead. A walk-double-walk juiced the bases once again and the fifth walk of the inning shifted the Miners to get one last run on the board, 11-4. The 'Runners tacked on the last out of the inning to stop the Miners from a run-rule victory....so they thought.
CSU Bakersfield sixth inning attempt to put runs up on the board fell short as UTEP's defense left three runners stranded to move in the bottom half. Three walks in the bottom jammed the bases with Miners and Angulo took one for the team with a walk-off hit by pitch to secure the 12-4 win.
Miner Quick Hits
GAME 2 | UTEP 8, Kansas City 6
UTEP kept the momentum going in its second game of the day against Kansas City. The Miners racked up four consecutive runs in the second frame to take command of the game. A double from Allen placed Mendez into scoring position and a sacrifice fly from Brockway sent Mendez to the plate. Back-to-back doubles from Dooner and Cathey put the Miners up, 3-0, and Morales' single up the middle, scored Cathey for the four-run lead.
The Roos fired back in the third, cutting the deficit, 4-2, but the Miners reciprocated the gesture in the bottom of the frame. Richard sent a lead-off double over to left center and a single from Mendez had Miners on the corners. Richard and Mendez simultaneously swiped bases to put up a fifth run and Brockway's soft single down the right field line put the squad up, 6-2.
Kansas City put up three runs in the fourth as Ally Vonfeldt started the inning with a double, followed by an Amelia Fitzgerald RBI single and Sydney Nichols's home run of put the Roos were right back in the game, 5-6.
After Richard scored Favre in the fourth inning, Nichols got the final RBI of the night for Kansas City. Richard blasted a dinger over left center in the bottom of the sixth and the Roos threatened but were unable to score in the seventh as UTEP delivered a double play to win the game, 8-6.
Miner Quick Hits
ON DECK
The Miners will face off against Tarleton State (10-5) at 4 p.m. MT and Creighton (3-8) at 7 p.m. MT on Saturday (Feb. 25) on day two of the UTEP Invitational at Helen of Troy Field.
For complete coverage of UTEP Softball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepsoftball (Instagram/Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
