LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The UTEP softball team (26-21) delivered an electrifying performance against top-seeded Liberty in Thursday night's Conference USA Championship elimination game that kept fans on the edge of their seats.  

Liberty's Brynn McManus tied the CUSA Softball Championship single-game RBI record with six runs driven in during the No. 1 Lady Flames' 13-10 triumph over No. 6 UTEP.

From the very start, UTEP came out swinging as Lexi Morales launched a leadoff homer down the left field line, setting the tone for the Miners. Ashlynn Allen followed suit with a clutch single up the middle, bringing in Ajia Richard and extending UTEP's lead to 2-0. The inning continued with Bri Garcia's patient at-bat, drawing an RBI-walk to make it 3-0 in favor of UTEP. 

In the second inning, Halle Hogan unleashed a massive homer to left center, further solidifying UTEP's lead with two more runs, 5-0. 

However, LU showed its resilience in the bottom of the second, clawing their way back into the game with a pair of RBI-singles to narrow the gap, 5-2. McManus then delivered a double, driving in two more runs to bring LU within striking distance at 5-4. 

The back-and-forth action continued in the fourth inning when UTEP's Marijn Crouwel stepped up with a three-run blast, extending UTEP's lead, 8-4. But LU responded emphatically in the bottom half with McManus' grand slam, tying the game at 8-8. 

The tension only escalated in the fifth and sixth innings. LU managed to take the lead with a series of well-executed plays, including Roupe's RBI walk and Jesse's single, bringing the score to 11-8. However, UTEP refused to back down, rallying with gritty at-bats from Crouwel and Allen to cut the deficit down to a run, 11-10. 

As the game entered its final innings, both teams fought tooth and nail for every run. Roberts' homer in the bottom of the sixth extended LU's lead to 13-10, ultimately proving to be the deciding factor in a hard-fought matchup.

"This team did a wonderful job turning this program around this season," head coach T.J. Hubbard said. "I can't thank them enough for their effort, even down to the last couple innings of the final game. I'm very proud of their accomplishments and looking forward to seeing what their work and effort this year do for the years. After game one yesterday, versus Louisiana Tech, they had a chip on their shoulder from an offensive standpoint, and they proved what they're capable of doing and it helped us win the game last night, versus Jacksonville State, and kept us in the game every step of the way tonight versus Liberty."

 

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