Final Stats

By Brooke Ortale | UTAMavs.com

HAMMOND, La. - Behind a dominant performance on the mound by Samantha Clakley and timely hitting, UT Arlington softball finished off the sweep of Southeastern Louisiana with a 5-0 win on Sunday.

The Mavericks remained undefeated and improved on the best start in UTA Athletics history to improving to 18-0. The Mavs, closing a season-long eight-game road trip, return to Allan Saxe Field on Friday for the highly anticipated Maverick Classic when they host Arizona, Texas and Samford. UTA opens the tournament with the No. 24 Longhorns on Friday at 6 p.m.

Clakley was masterful in the circle, not allowing a hit until a two-out bunt in the fourth. Of her three hits allowed, only one left the infield. Clakley improved to 8-0, throwing her eighth complete game of the season.

"Sam did a great job hitting her spots and mixing her speeds up," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "She has shown a lot of composer on the mound and it relaxes our whole defense."

Laura Curry recorded the only multiple hit game for either team going 2-for-4 with a run. Mallory Foster and Rebecca Stokes drove in multiple runs in the game. Foster drove in the first two in the top of the first, while Stokes capped off the scoring with a two-run home run in the seventh, her first of the season. Sandra Mendoza snapped her career-high 17-game hit streak, but extended her reached base to 18 games with a walk to start off the game.

UTA wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two in the first. Mendoza and Britnea Barilli each drew walks in the opening frame and came around to score on a two-RBI single off the bat of Foster.

The Mavs added onto their lead in the sixth with Curry coming around to score after leading off the inning with a single.

The Lions made noise in the bottom of the sixth by drawing a walk, followed by a bunt single, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the threat.

Clakley retired the side in the seventh to secure the Maverick win.

"I am very impressed with how our team has shown up everyday with a lot of energy and focus," Fox said. "We need to take that approach into next weekend and not make any one game bigger than the other.