ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The UTEP softball team (8-9) closed the weekend in dominant fashion Sunday morning, earning a redemption victory to wrap up the UNM Invitational with a 16-3 run-rule win over Tarleton State in five innings.
Overall Recap
After a tough stretch to close Saturday, the Miners responded with their most explosive offensive performance of the tournament. UTEP scored in three different innings, highlighted by an eight-run second and a seven-run fourth, while matching a season-best 16 hits and batting a season-high .533 as a team. The Miners also produced seven doubles from six different players and blasted three home runs.
UTEP struck first in the opening inning and quickly broke the game open with back-to-back home runs and a grand slam during a massive second frame. After Tarleton State got on the board in the fourth, the Miners answered immediately with seven more runs to extend the lead to 16-1. The Texans added two in the fifth, but the run-rule was already in effect.
Individually, Iliana Munoz led the offensive surge, batting .750 (3-for-4) with two doubles and two RBI while also recording five putouts at first base. Bri Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, and three RBI, while Kenna Carranza finished 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a team-high four RBI. Camrynn Guthrie (2-for-3) and Marissa Burchard (2-for-4) added multi-hit efforts, and Jordan Credeur, Munoz, and Halle Hogan each drove in two runs.
Five Miners—Burchard, Guthrie, Aaliyah Betancourt, Hogan, and Garcia—scored two runs apiece as UTEP outhit Tarleton State 16-5.
Defensively, the Miners were flawless, posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Betancourt added three assists as part of the clean effort.
In the circle, Tatyana Vega earned the win, improving to 7-3 on the season.
UTEP 16, Tarleton State 3 (5 inn.)
UTEP wasted no time getting started as Munoz delivered an RBI double in the first inning. The Miners then erupted in the second, scoring eight runs on three home runs, including back-to-back blasts from Hogan and Garcia, followed by a grand slam from Carranza.
After a scoreless third, Tarleton State homered in the fourth to cut the deficit to eight. UTEP answered emphatically with a seven-run fourth inning featuring RBI doubles from Garcia, Credeur, and Munoz, along with run-scoring singles from Marquez and Burchard to push the lead to 16-1.
The Texans plated two in the fifth, but the Miners secured the run-rule victory.
On Deck
The Miners will return home March 3 to face New Mexico in a postponed matchup at Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
UTEP then opens Conference USA play March 6–8, hosting Sam Houston for a three-game series.
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