Game Three
UTEP softball dropped the series finale to Liberty, 11-3, Saturday afternoon at Helen of Troy Field.
UTEP moves to 9-19 overall and 1-8 in Conference USA play, while Liberty improves to 14-15 and 7-2 in league action.
Liberty struck early, plating two runs in the opening frame and adding two more in the second on a two-run home run by Carrasquillo to take a 4-0 lead. UTEP answered in the bottom of the second when Kendall Angulo reached on an error, allowing Marissa Burchard to score and cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Lady Flames extended their advantage in the third with a two-run homer from Whatley, but the Miners responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half. Burchard reached on an error that brought home Ari Leon, and Halle Hogan followed with an RBI groundout to make it 6-3.
Liberty continued to add on, highlighted by a solo home run from Jessee in the fourth and a three-run fifth inning to break the game open. The Lady Flames tacked on one more in the seventh to secure the 11-3 victory.
UTEP was outhit 12-4 in the contest, while both teams combined for three errors (Liberty 2, UTEP 1). Bri Garcia led the Miners at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double. Iliana Munoz and Cece Marquez each added a hit. Munoz, Kenna Carranza, and Marissa Burchard also drew walks.
Serenity Jacoway earned the start in the circle and was charged with the loss, moving to 1-4 on the season after tossing 2.0 innings. Tatyana Vega, Hannah Jones, and Ariana Flores all saw action in relief. Vega recorded one strikeout.
ON DECK
UTEP will hit the road for a three-game Conference USA series at Kennesaw State, scheduled for March 27-29 in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Game Two
UTEP softball dropped game two of its three-game Conference USA series to Liberty, 9-1 in six innings, Friday night at Helen of Troy Field.
UTEP moves to 9-18 overall and 1-7 in CUSA play, while Liberty improves to 13-15 and 6-2 in league action.
Liberty struck first in the top of the second, capitalizing on a defensive miscue to take a 1-0 lead. The Lady Flames added another run in the third on an RBI single, followed by a solo home run in the fourth to extend the advantage to 3-0.
The game broke open in the fifth inning as Liberty plated four runs, highlighted by a back-to-back homeruns from Doerr and Strickland to make it 7-0.
UTEP answered in the bottom half of the inning when Kenna Carranza blasted a solo home run to left center, putting the Miners on the board at 7-1.
Liberty responded with two more runs in the sixth inning, including a solo home run and an RBI single, to secure the 9-1 run-rule victory.
Liberty outhit UTEP 11-4 on the night. Four different Miners recorded hits: Kendall Angulo, Kenna Carranza, Bri Garcia and Serenity Jacoway. Carranza accounted for UTEP’s lone run with her fifth-inning home run.
Marissa Burchard, Iliana Munoz and Carranza each drew walks in the contest.
Ariana Flores earned the start in the circle for the Miners and was charged with the loss, moving to 0-4 on the season after tossing 3.2 innings. Hannah Jones provided relief with 1.0 inning of work, while Ryann Presswood closed out the game, throwing 1.1 innings and recording two strikeouts.
Game One
UTEP softball fell 8-1 to defending Conference USA champion Liberty on Thursday night at Helen of Troy Field to open the weekend series.
The Miners move to 9-17 overall and 1-6 in CUSA play, while the Lady Flames improve to 12-15 and 5-2 in league action.
Liberty struck early with a four-run second inning to take control. An RBI single by Roberts opened the scoring before Whatley delivered a two-run double to left center. Fox followed with an RBI single to cap the frame and give Liberty a 4-0 lead.
UTEP answered in the bottom of the third when Iliana Munoz launched a solo home run to left field, trimming the deficit to 4-1.
Liberty extended its lead in the fifth on a two-run home run by Nash, then added two more runs in the sixth inning on a solo shot by Lee and a sacrifice fly by Strickland to seal the 8-1 final.
Liberty outhit UTEP, 11-4, in the contest, while both teams were flawless defensively with zero errors committed. Serenity Jacoway, Iliana Munoz, Camrynn Guthrie and Aaliyah Betancourt each recorded a hit for the Miners. Munoz also drew two walks, while Kenna Carranza and Halle Hogan each added a free pass. Bri Garcia contributed with a sacrifice hit.
Tatyana Vega earned the start in the circle for UTEP and was charged with the loss, moving to 8-7 on the season. Ryann Presswood provided 4.0 innings of relief, while Hannah Jones closed out the game and struck out two batters.
