Mean Green softball sweeps Texas-El Paso, rises to 5-1 in conference
North Texas softball (16-9, 5-1 Conference USA) earned their first sweep of the C-USA season after their 3-1 victory against the Texas-El Paso Miners (7-19, 2-4 C-USA).
Head Coach Rodney DeLong points down the third base line at a player at the game agaisnt Texas-El Paso on March 17, 2019. Image by: Jordan Collard.
“It’s tough to beat people three times,” head coach Rodney DeLong said. “We just got to grind and figure out a way to win, just late-innings we executed.
North Texas won the first game Saturday afternoon 10-2 in sophomore pitcher Hope Trautwein’s eleventh game. This win put her record at 9-2 on the season.
The Mean Green won the second game in a 5-1 victory after a shutout pitching performance from junior pitcher Jenna Goodrich who went five scoreless innings until Trautwein came in to relieve her in the sixth.
In Sunday’s victory Trautwein started the game and received her tenth win.
“We needed three wins this weekend,” DeLong said. “We’re in a position to get to the top of the league and put a little pressure on those teams up there with us.”
Freshman Tayla Evans had a batting percentage of .857 over the three-game span and went 3-3 in the final game with one RBI and four for the entire weekend.
“I really prepared well this week,” Evans said. “I really focused more on my hitting and I was a bit more comfortable.”
In the final game, Trautwein pitched the entire game and struck out seven hitters and retired 11-straight batters at one point.
Freshman Tayla Evans practices her swing before she walks up to hit at the game against Texas-El Paso at Lovelace Stadium on March 17, 2019. Image by: Jordan Collard
Junior infielder Harley Perella went 2-3 on Sunday and a home run in the first game. Perella now has three home runs on the season.
“Hitting is like a roller coaster with everybody,” Perella said. “Big games in Ruston this weekend, so I’m getting ready for it.”
North Texas is now tied for second in the C-USA standings with Texas-El Paso, 1.5 games back from first place.
UP NEXT: North Texas takes on the newly-found rival Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (20-7, 3-0 C-USA) March 23-24 in Ruston, Louisiana. The Lady Techsters are currently in first place in C-USA.
“It’s always a dog fight with them,” Perella said. “It should be interesting-we sweep them last year, it’s always neck-and-neck.”
Featured Image: Junior Hope Trautwein pitches in the game against Texas-El Paso at Lovelace Stadium on March 17, 2019. Image by: Jordan Collard
Louisiana Tech’s women’s teams are called the Lady Techsters, not Lady Bulldogs