University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Sweeps Stephen F. Austin
5/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
DENTON (5/2/07) - The North Texas softball team closed out its regular season with a doubleheader sweep against Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday afternoon at Lovelace Stadium. The Mean Green won the first game, 5-3, and then secured a rain-shortened 7-4 victory in the nightcap.
The Mean Green (21-34) is just one win shy of tying the school record for wins. The 2004 and 2006 teams each won 22 victories. North Texas takes a 4-2 series lead against the LadyJacks who fall to 19-36 overall. The Mean Green finished its first season at Lovelace Stadium with a 12-11 record.
Monica Garcia posted the game-winning hit in the first game with a single in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored two runs. Garcia was called out trying to stretch the single into a double but not before Kadie Platt and Taylor Johnston both scored to put NT ahead, 5-3. Platt and Johnston each singled to get on base.
Ashley Lail won her 11th game of the season in the circle, tying her for third for wins by a North Texas pitcher in a single season. She pitched her 18th complete game of the season, allowing only seven hits and one earned run.
Susan Waters and Katya Muller both homered in the 7-4 five-inning win. The game was first delayed due to lightning and was then called after heavy rain hit the area. Waters gave North Texas a 2-0 lead in the first inning with her 17th home run of the season. The senior is one win shy of tying her single-season home run record which she set last year. Muller gave North Texas a 3-0 lead with her seventh home run of the season in the third inning. She has hit four home runs in the last four games and is one shy of tying her 2006 total.
Kayla Lawson pitched three hitless innings for the Mean Green before getting into trouble in the fourth. She allowed three SFA runs before leaving the game with two outs and one batter on base. Kristina Fowler stepped in from first base and struck out the LadyJack batter to end the inning.
Fowler ended up taking the win for the Mean Green after North Texas scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior Danielle Rupp posted a two-RBI double, and Muller knocked her home with the inning’s second double. The double was Muller’s 13th of the season, which is one shy of tying NT’s single-season record.
North Texas will compete in the Sun Belt Conference Championships which begins on Wednesday, May 9 in Murfreesboro, TN.
