Final Stats

By Cassie Logan | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas -- UTA softball picked up its second win of the UTA Invitational, but fell short in the nightcap Saturday to split Day 2 at Allan Saxe Field.

The Mavericks (7-6) shut out UMKC earlier in the morning 4-0 with a quick offensive burst in the first inning. UTA out-hit Nicholls in the second game, but a few defensive hiccups withheld the potential for victory in a 5-3 loss.

Against UMKC, Sam Clakely pitched her fourth-straight complete game shutout, allowing four hits and five punchouts. Freshman Whitney Walton was the lone multi-hit game with a pair of knocks and two runs in three at-bats.

In the last game of the day, the Mavericks rallied up 10 hits to Nicholls' eight, however, UTA committed five errors on the field. Walton blasted her second home run of the weekend, third of her career, in the bottom of the first with two outs.

Clakley moved to 6-2 after giving up two runs on four hits and six strikeouts in 3.1 frames. Senior Sam Montes opened the day on the mound, but was relieved following a handout of three runs on four hits in 3.2 innings.

Freshman Aileen Garcia and Mallory Foster both went 2-for-3 at the plate. The senior added a run and RBI. Laura Curry went 2-for-4 with a run.

Nicholls secured the win in the top of the sixth as a fielding error later turned into a run on an RBI-single, making way for a rally that involved another run to be plated on a knock down the left field line.

The Colonels doubled their lead in the top of the fourth until the Maverick bats came alive in the bottom of the frame. Curry singled to ingnite a rally and Foster's RBI double cut the deficit in half. Shelbi Sikes grounded out later in the inning, but scored Kacey Moore after reaching on a single.

The Mavericks conclude the UTA Invitational Sunday morning with another shot at UMKC at 11 a.m. at Allan Saxe Field.