Miners Battle Through Opening Day of UTEP Invitational

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP Softball dropped both games on opening day of the UTEP Invitational on Friday at the Helen of Troy Softball Field, falling 9–4 to Utah Valley before an 8–0 setback against St. Thomas.

GAME 1 Utah Valley 9, UTEP 4

The Wolverines opened the scoring in the top of the second inning with a solo home run to left field, taking a 1–0 advantage. Utah Valley added to its lead in the fifth, stringing together extra-base hits to plate three runs and extend the margin to 4–0.

UTEP answered in the bottom of the seventh. A solo home run by Camrynn Guthrie cut the deficit to three before Paige Lassiter’s three-run blast later in the inning evened the score at 4–4 and forced extra innings.

Utah Valley quickly regained control in the top of the eighth. A two-run home run put the Wolverines back in front before a two-run single and an RBI base hit capped a five-run frame, pushing the lead to 9–4.

The Miners were unable to respond in the bottom half of the inning, as Utah Valley closed out the game to secure the win.

GAME 2 St. Thomas 8, UTEP 0

The Tommies opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff walk and a single put runners on, a groundout brought home the game’s first run to give St. Thomas a 1–0 lead.

UTEP worked through traffic defensively over the next few innings, but St. Thomas extended its advantage in the top of the fifth. A bases-loaded walk plated a run before a two-run single made it 4–0. The inning was capped by a three-run home run to left field, pushing the lead to 7–0.

St. Thomas added its final run in the seventh inning on an RBI single to center field, extending the margin to 8–0.

The Miners threatened at times, putting runners on base in multiple innings, but were unable to generate a run as St. Thomas pitching limited UTEP’s offensive opportunities throughout the contest.

Stat Notes

Seven Miners recorded at least one hit on opening day, with Camrynn Guthrie the lone UTEP player to post a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-5. Guthrie and Paige Lassiter each homered in the opener against Utah Valley, accounting for both of UTEP’s home runs on the day.

Lassiter drove in a team-high three RBIs, while Guthrie added one. UTEP showed discipline at the plate, earning six walks overall, led by Brantley Lavas, who drew three free passes.

Defensively, Lavas anchored the outfield with a team-high eight putouts in center field, while Aaliyah Betancourt paced the Miners with three assists. UTEP played error-free defense across both games.

In the circle, the Miners’ pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts. Tatyana Vega led the way with eight punchouts over a staff-high 7.0 innings, while Arianna Flores added four strikeouts in her start.

UTEP Softball Sweeps UT Arlington with Dramatic Comebacks

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP Softball (2–2) delivered a memorable Day 2 at the UTEP Invitational, sweeping UT Arlington in Saturday’s doubleheader at Helen of Troy Softball Field with back-to-back one-run victories.

GAME 1 UTEP 16, UTA 15

The Mavericks struck first with a two-run second inning, but the Miners answered right back in the bottom half when Cece Marquez cleared the bases with a three-run double to put UTEP in front, 3–2. UT Arlington regained the lead in the third, only for UTEP to knot the game at 4–4 on a Camrynn Guthrie sacrifice fly.

UTA built a 6–4 advantage in the fourth and then erupted for nine runs in the fifth to stretch the margin to 15–5. Refusing to fold, the Miners responded with plating seven runs in the bottom of the fifth. RBI hits from Marquez and Kendall Angulo, a three-run double by Marissa Burchard, and a pair of two-run home runs from Iliana Munoz and Guthrie pulled UTEP within one, 15–14.

The comeback was completed in the seventh. Burchard led off with a solo home run to tie the game, and moments later Guthrie reached on an error that allowed the winning run to score, sealing a wild 16–15 walk-off victory for the Miners.

GAME 2 UTEP 9, UTA 8

The Mavericks jumped out to an early 2–0 lead in the first, but UTEP responded immediately, tying the game in the bottom half on RBI groundouts from MJ Nicholson and a run-scoring single by Halle Hogan. The Miners took control in the third inning when Aaliyah Betancourt doubled down the left-field line to drive in two runs, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Bri Garcia to push UTEP in front, 5–2.

Munoz added a solo home run in the fourth to extend the lead to 6–2, before UT Arlington clawed back with six unanswered runs across the fifth and sixth innings to take an 8–6 advantage. UTEP delivered the decisive response in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs to reclaim the lead. Nicholson drove in a run with a groundout, Camrynn Guthrie tied the game with an RBI double, and Betancourt reached on an error to bring home the go-ahead run, lifting the Miners to a 9–8 advantage.

UT Arlington threatened in the top of the seventh with a leadoff walk, but UTEP’s defense shut the door, forcing three consecutive fly outs to right field to secure the victory and complete the sweep.

By the Numbers

UTEP’s offense and defense shined throughout the day:

• The Miners produced the largest comeback in program history in Game 1, erasing a 10-run deficit.
• 10 Miners recorded hits, with six posting multiple-hit performances.
• Iliana Munoz led the way, going 7-for-9 on the day (.778 batting average), while adding two home runs, six runs, and a team-best 14 total bases.
• Between both teams, nine home runs were hit (four by UTEP, five by UT Arlington).
• Camrynn Guthrie drove in a team-high five RBIs, while Munoz, Marissa Burchard, and Cece Marquez each tallied four.
• Burchard was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases.
• Defensively, Munoz recorded a team-high 11 putouts, followed by Guthrie with 10 putouts behind the plate, while Burchard led the Miners with six assists.

In the circle, freshman Tatyana Vega earned both wins on the day. Vega began Game 1 at third base before entering the circle to earn the victory, then started Game 2 and tossed a complete game. Overall, she pitched 9.0 innings and recorded three strikeouts.

UTEP Softball Splits Sunday to Close UTEP Invitational

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP softball wrapped up the UTEP Invitational on Sunday afternoon at Helen of Troy Softball Field, splitting the day to finish the weekend at 3-3 on the young season. The Miners opened Sunday with a 10-5 redemption win over Utah Valley before falling to UMass Lowell, 12-2, in five innings.

Four Miners were named to the All-Tournament Team: Aaliyah Betancourt, Camrynn Guthrie, Iliana Muñoz and Tatyana Vega. Guthrie was voted the UTEP Invitational Most Valuable Player.

GAME 1 UTEP 10, Utah Valley 5

The Miners erased multiple deficits and broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning to earn the bounce-back victory over the Wolverines.

Utah Valley jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning before UTEP answered in the bottom of the second. Cece Marquez lined a two-RBI single through the left side to knot the game at 2-2.

After Utah Valley regained the lead with three runs in the fourth to go up 5-2, the Miners responded emphatically. Aaliyah Betancourt sparked the rally with an RBI double. Bri Garcia then launched a two-run home run down the left-field line to give UTEP its first lead of the game at 6-5. An RBI reached-on-error capped the inning as the Miners surged ahead, 7-5.

UTEP continued to add on, as Betancourt crushed a two-run homer to center in the fifth and Paige Lassiter delivered an RBI single in the sixth to seal the 10-5 win.

In the circle, Tatyana Vega was dominant in relief, earning the victory with 4.0 scoreless innings. Vega allowed just four hits, struck out two, and did not surrender a run, posting a 0.00 ERA on the day.

GAME 2 UMass Lowell 12, UTEP 2 (5 innings)

UMass Lowell used early offense and capitalized on opportunities to take the finale.

The River Hawks scored in each of the first four innings, including a five-run third, to build a commanding lead. UTEP broke through in the bottom of the fourth when Halle Hogan doubled to right field to drive in a run. Marissa Burchard added a solo home run to left in the fifth for the Miners’ second run.

Team Notes

• Nine Miners recorded hits on Sunday, with six posting multiple hits.
• Halle Hogan led the way, going 3-for-4 on the day with a .750 batting average.
• Aaliyah Betancourt paced the team with three runs and three RBI, while also totaling six total bases.
• UTEP hit three home runs on the day (Garcia, Betancourt and Burchard), while neither Utah Valley nor UMass Lowell homered in the Invitational finale.
• Marissa Burchard also finished with six total bases and led the defense with 10 putouts at shortstop.
• Betancourt added a team-high four assists in the field.

ON DECK

UTEP returns home to host the 4th annual Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament, Feb. 13–15, at Helen of Troy Softball Field. The Miners will welcome a strong field featuring nationally ranked Oklahoma, along with Minnesota, Idaho State and Montana.