University of North Texas
Stephen F. Austin
Mean Green Softball Opens Season With Convincing Win
2/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nacogdoches, Texas (2/17/10) - The North Texas softball team won its season opener in convincing fashion, defeating Stephen F. Austin, 7-0, on Wednesday afternoon at SFA Softball Field. Briana Bishop hit a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the Ladyjacks a 5-2 win in the nightcap.
The Mean Green improves to 1-1 this season and 5-2 in season-opening games. The Ladyjacks also win their first game of the season and move to 1-5. North Texas and SFA split a doubleheader for a second year in a row.
Kayla Lawson started her senior campaign in dominating fashion. She picked up her first win of the season after pitching a one-hitter over five innings of work. She struck out the first three batters she faced, finishing with five strikeouts. Junior Jennifer Smith sealed the win with two innings of scoreless relief pitching.
Ashley Lail took the loss in the second game of the day. She gave up five runs off seven hits. The senior gave up two early runs in the first inning and then held the Ladyjacks scoreless until the seventh inning homer. The Mean Green tied the game, 2-2, in the fifth inning after Mariza Martinez and Rebecca Waters both knocked in runs.
The Mean Green scored seven runs on 10 hits in the opening win. Six of those 10 hits were for extra bases. Martinez hit two of the four doubles, setting a personal best.
Lisa Johnson and Renae Bromley both homered in the win. Johnson hit a solo shot in the fourth inning, adding to the 1-0 lead. Bromley had a career game, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. The runs scored and three RBI were personal bests. She doubled in the fourth, the first of her career, and capped the win with a three-run homer in the fifth. The home run was the second of her career.
North Texas used speed and power to knock in the first run. Megan Rupp started off the inning by bunting her way to a base hit. She then stole second and was knocked home by Martinez's first double of the game. After the Johnson home run in the third, Bromley doubled and later scored from third on Amber Miller's RBI single.
The Mean Green left eight baserunners stranded in the 5-2 loss. Martinez and Waters led the offense in the loss with two hits each. Martinez posted a team-high four hits in the doubleheader.
North Texas returns home this weekend when it hosts the Sleep Inn Classic at Lovelace Stadium.
