University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Softball Hands FAU Its First Conference Loss
3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Mean Green improves to 14-17 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt, while the Owls’ record goes to 22-16 and 4-1 in the conference.
Freshman Mariza Martinez and Mallory Cantler combined for six hits and five RBI in the victory to pace the Mean Green offense. Cantler knocked in a run in the two-run fifth inning that broke the 1-1 tie and then posted a two-RBI double in the sixth to boost the score to 7-1.
Rebecca Waters ended the game in the sixth inning on the run-rule with her fifth home run of the season. The sophomore has now hit five home runs in the last six games. Waters came close to tying the opening game at 1-1 with a hit to left center field in the bottom of the eighth inning. The ball bounced off the top of the outfield fence and fell back into play for a double. The second baseman was then stranded at second after Courtney Bradshaw fouled out to end the game.
Kayla Lawson won her sixth game of the season, pitching a six-inning, two-hit performance in the second game. She allowed one run in the first inning and one hit in the third inning and then held the Owls hitless the rest of the game.
Jennifer Smith also pitched a solid game in the 1-0 loss, but the Mean Green offense was unable to string together hits. NT stranded 10 runners on base. The freshman walked Amber Barton to start the top of the eighth inning and Barton scored the winning run off a single by Becky Brandies.
With the second game tied 1-1, senior Taylor Johnston fired up the Mean Green offense with a pinch-hit single in the fifth. She scored from third to give the Mean Green the lead off a single by Cantler. Sarah Jones knocked home Cantler with a sacrifice fly. Jones also had a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. The junior posted one hit and two RBI in the victory and was the only NT player to post two hits in the 1-0 loss.
