University of North Texas Athletics
Lail Pitches No-Hitter In Mean Green Sweep Of Troy
4/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
DENTON, Texas (4/11/09) Ashley Lail pitched her second no-hitter of the season to lead the North Texas softball team to a 6-0 win against Troy on Saturday afternoon at Lovelace Stadium. The win completes the three-game sweep of the first-place Trojans.
The Mean Green improves to 24-18 overall and 10-7 in the Sun Belt, while Troy falls to 30-14 and 13-5 in the conference. NT still trails the series against Troy, 9-7, but has won the last four meetings. The Mean Green had only swept a three-game series once before prior to this weekend. NT defeated ULM three times during the 2007 season. With the 10 conference wins, NT ties the school record for most Sun Belt wins in a single season. Troy had not dropped more than one game to a conference opponent this season until this weekend.
“The pitching all week has been great,” said North Texas coach TJ Hubbard. “Our defense this weekend was huge. Rebecca at third, Kadie at right and Megan in left, all came up with great plays.”
After pitching a shutout and allowing just two hits yesterday, Lail came back and pitched an even better game. She recorded her second no-hitter, allowing no hits in seven innings of work. She struck out five Trojans and did not walk a single batter. Two Trojans reached base on errors. In the two games this week, Lail picked up two victories and allowed just two hits in 14 innings of work.
“Everyone worked really hard this week, and it paid off,” said Lail. “I am not a strikeout pitcher so I need to depend on my defense. Troy hit some hard balls, and everyone just played great defense.”
The offense continued its strong showing, posting eight hits, including two home runs. Kadie Platt gave North Texas a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run shot to left field. It was her fifth home run of the season, tying her for second on the team. Platt went 2-for-3 in the game with one run scored and three RBI.
Courtney Bradshaw added to the score with a solo home run in the fourth. It was her first home run of the season. She posted two hits in the game and four in the three-game series. The Mean Green added two runs in the fifth off an error and a Sarah Jones sacrifice fly. Platt knocked in the sixth run in the sixth inning with a single. Megan Rupp also posted two hits in the game.
The Mean Green has won five straight games, its longest winning streak of the season. NT is just three wins shy of tying the school record for wins in a season. Head coach TJ Hubbard picked up his 50th career win yesterday in the 7-3 victory. With the 6-0 win today, Hubbard has improved his overall career coaching record to 51-51 in just under two years.
North Texas returns home on Wednesday, April 15 with a doubleheader against Louisiana Tech at 2 pm.
