March 28, 2009
Nacogdoches, Texas - UTA hurler's Cara Hulme and Heather Fortenberry led the Mavericks to a pair of Southland Conference victories on the road at Stephen F. Ausitn on Saturday, March 28 at Hoya Field. The Mavs collected a 2-1 win in game one and secured a 6-4 victory in game two.
In game on, Hulme (8-10) led the Mavs on the mound, pitching a complete game, allowing only one run on three hits while fanning nine batters.
UTA was held scoreless through five innings and was trailing 1-0 after Benet Higgs connected on a home run to left field in the bottom of the third inning. Hulme helped the Mavericks offense with a two-run blast over the left field fence in the sixth frame.
The two-run lead for the Mavs was all they needed to secure game one of the series as they held off the Lady Jacks in the final inning.
Hulme led the Mavericks offensively with her two-run homer and three other Mavs recorded hits in the win.
The Mavericks found their stroke in game two as they recorded eight hits to the Lady Jacks six. Hulme collected her second home run of the day and fifth of the season when she ripped a pitch over the left field fence in the top of the second frame.
Fortenberry (5-5) did the work on the mound for UTA, pitching a complete game, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out five.
UTA found itself in a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning after SFA's Briana Bishop connected on a three-run homer to left field.
Hulme's home run in the second brought the Mavericks within two and a costly error in the top of the third frame by the Lady Jacks scored Brittany Washington which made the score, 3-2.
The Mavericks continued the scoring rally in the top of the fourth, plating three runs on four hits. Samantha Chumchal led off with a single to left center and scored on a Washington sacrifice fly to right field. Kelsey Kaiser followed with a single to center field and came around to score on a Jaimee Stinson double. Stinson crossed home plate after Fortenberry singled to right.
UTA held SFA scoreless through four innings and led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Jacks added a solo run in the sixth following an RBI-double by Ashley Struchtemeye, making the score 5-4. With runners in scoring position, Fortenberry buckled down and ended the inning with a strikeout.
The Mavericks added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Fortenberry doubled down the left field line and scored on a Rebecca Collom single.
Fortenberry shut down the Lady Jacks offense in the final inning with three straight outs.
UTA wraps up the three-game series tomorrow at Hoya Field. Game time is set for noon.
