Rainey's 8th Inning Walk-Off Lifts Softball over Tulsa, 1-0

DENTON, Texas – Senior Molly Rainey's walk-off solo home run in the eighth inning lifted UNT softball to a 1-0 win over Tulsa at Lovelace Stadium on Friday night.

Rainey's extra-innings blast off Maura Moore (L, 8-5) was the first walk-off home run since Saleen Donohoe tallied a three-run shot against UTSA on March 19, 2023.

WALK OFF WINNER!!!@RaineyMolly drops the first pitch bomb to right as the Mean Green defeat Tulsa in 8 innings!!!#LightTheTower 🟢 x #GMG 🦅 pic.twitter.com/waIqJBqn3j
— North Texas Softball (@MeanGreenSB) March 23, 2024

"I'm super proud of this team," Rainey said. "Especially [Mackenzie] Childers, she pitched really well tonight, and she kept us in the game the whole time."

Reigning American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week Mackenzie Childers (W, 6-3) matched her career high with 8.0 innings pitched with seven strikeouts and allowed four hits and zero walks.

Childers' complete-game shutout was her third of the season and second that she carried to extra innings after she recorded her first no-hitter in eight innings over New Mexico on Feb. 24.

"Mack was outstanding," head coach Rodney DeLong said. "We got out of a couple of jams and pitched against a really tough lineup. To only give up four hits on the game with seven strikeouts, it's a really solid outing for her."

The Mean Green (16-12, 6-1) flashed the leather with multiple highlight reel plays including an outfield assist from left field by Rainey in the third inning and inning-ending catch by Cierra Simon at shortstop in the fourth. Kailey Gamble laid out from first base for a pop-up foul ball to record the second out of the eighth inning.

Tulsa (19-9, 5-2) mounted its most dangerous push in the fifth inning with a pair of singles to place runners on first and second with one out. Childers would work around the traffic with a pop-up and strikeout to end the frame.

UP NEXT

UNT meets the Golden Hurricane in game two of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. with broadcast coverage on ESPN+ from Lovelace Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.

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