April 12, 2015
Final Stats
By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas -- UT Arlington completed a comeback win in extra innings to defeat ULM 11-8 in eight innings at ULM Softball Complex on Sunday in Sun Belt play.
Down 6-2 to start the fifth, the Mavericks scored a pair of runs in each of the next three innings to take an 8-6 lead. ULM rallied to tie the game in the seventh, but Sandra Mendoza and Nina Villanueva provided the final blow to lift UTA in the series. Mendoza singled to push UTA back up, while Villanueva's two-run double put the game away.
"ULM is the No. 3 team in our conference right now and to go on the road and win the series shows how much this team loves to compete," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "These were hard fought wins and they battled through adversity. I love the growth this team has shown."
The win improved the Mavericks to 26-19 overall and 7-8 in SBC play. The 26 wins are the most for UTA in a season under third-year coach Kristie Fox.
Mendoza finished 3-for-5 from the plate with three runs and an RBI. Mya Anderson led with a game-high four hits. She knocked in two RBI and crossed the plate once.
UTA starter Sam Montes (13-10) settled in after allowing four runs in the third. Montes gave up eight runs (two earned) over eight innings pitched to earn the win.
"Sam left everything on that field today and I'm glad we could produce enough to get her the win," Fox said.
The Mavericks return to action when they travel to Austin to face Texas on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game is featured on the Longhorn Network.
Anderson put UTA on the board with a two-out double to left to score Villanueva in the first. The lead was doubled in the second as Rebecca Stokes scored on a double by Kacey Everett.
The Warhawks would score six unanswered runs between the second and fourth innings before UTA began its rally.
With two outs in the fifth Anderson singled up the middle as part of the first of three consecutive hits for the Mavs. Anderson scored on another ULM error before Britnea Barilli's single to score Meagan Michele cut the lead down to just two.
Mendoza scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the sixth and Michele's single up the middle brought home Marisa Datko to tie the game.
Shelbi Sikes gave the Mavs the lead as she drew a walk. Anderson, again providing a two-out hit, singled up the middle that made the score 8-6 in favor of UTA.
