April 26, 2008
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington head coach Debbie Hedrick earned her 300th career victory and sophomore Cara Hulme pitched 14 strong innings Saturday in a doubleheader sweep of Southeastern Louisiana.
Hedrick reached the milestone in a 3-0 victory in game one and senior Katie Jones and freshman Rebecca Collom homered in a 4-2 victory in game two at Allan Saxe Field. The three-game Southland Conference series concludes Sunday, with the first pitch at noon.
The Mavericks (23-20, 16-10 SLC) improved to 23-13 in the all-time series against the Lady Lions (27-22, 14-14), including a 14-3 record in Arlington.
Hulme (14-5) earned her fifth shutout of the season in the opener, allowing just one hit while striking out seven and walking one in seven innings. She entered the second game after senior starter Laura Jones had pitched to just two batters, then went the distance and allowed one earned run on six hits with five more strikeouts.
After university president James Spaniolo threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to game one, the Mavericks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Katie Jones, who was 4-for-7 on the day with two runs and two RBI, led off with a single down the left-field line. She moved to second on a groundout and raced home on a fielding error by SLU shortstop Katie Duhe.
UTA scored the game's only other runs in the second inning. Senior Kristin Moore singled through the right side, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Samantha Chumchal and scored on a base hit up the middle by freshman Whitney Simpson. Simpson moved to second base on a passed ball and came around to score on Katie Jones' double down the left field line.
That was all the offense needed for Hulme, who struck out the side in the fifth inning and allowed only a fourth-inning single by Duhe.
The Lady Lions struck first in the second game, taking a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a RBI single by Kaley Christey.
The Mavericks answered in the bottom of the frame when Moore, pinch running after a leadoff single by sophomore Heather Fortenberry, dashed home on a double by senior April Clougherty.
Katie Jones gave UTA the lead with a long home run to straightaway center field to lead off the fifth inning. It was her fifth of the season. One out later, Collom followed with her 10th tater of the season to right field to make it 3-1.
SLU cut the deficit with an unearned run in the top of the sixth, but the Mavericks got it back with an unearned run of their own. Clougherty reached with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chumchal. She advanced to third on a single up the middle by senior Brittany Stevens and scored on a fielding error by Lions reliever Rachel Ray.
