ARLINGTON, Texas – For the second time in as many home games, the UT Arlington softball team won with a walk off hit, this time coming off the bat of Laura Curry. The win ends a four-game skid and marks the first Sun Belt opener that the Mavs have won since joining in 2013.
 
Three pitchers were needed in this one, as both teams were red hot at the plate combining for 19 runs and 24 hits.  Allie Gardiner (1-3) picked up the win, keeping the Mavs within striking distance as they began the rally, not allowing a run through 3.1 innings.
 
"Tonight, I was proud that when they scored all those runs, our team never gave up," head coach Peejay Brun said.
 
The Mavs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Bri Burchianti singled through the left side to score Reagan Wright and Curry.
 
The Jaguars had to wait until the third inning to score, but tied the game with a two-run home run from Kamdyn Kvistad. UTA took the lead back with an RBI single from Brittany Wyllie, but it would soon disappear as an error riddled fourth inning put the Mavs into a hole.
 
South Alabama took a two-run lead with another homerun, this time driving in three runs.  After getting the second out, two errors would allow the inning to continue as the Jaguars took advantage, scoring four more runs to take a 9-3 lead.
 
From that point on it was all Mavericks, chipping away at the lead over the course of the final three innings. UTA returned one favor in the bottom of the fourth, scoring one run off an error at second base to cut the lead to five runs.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Whitney Walton started the rally for the Mavs, blasting a solo shot to left field to make it 9-5. Aileen Garcia and Wright drove in the final two runs of the inning to put the Mavs within striking distance for the final inning.
 
South Alabama came inches away from scoring in the seventh, but Laura Curry threw a cannon from centerfield to gun out a runner trying to stretch to home plate, ending the inning and keeping it a two-run game.
 
After a ground out to start the final frame, KJ Murphy, Melanie Mendoza and Whitney Walton each reached base to load the bases.  Curry, riding high off her throw down, continued her momentum, cracking a line drive up the middle of the infield to score two runs.  A fielding error by the centerfielder allowed Walton to show off her speed and reach an extra base, scoring the game winning run as the Mavs took it 10-9.
 
UP NEXT
UTA will play game two of their three-game series against South Alabama tomorrow (March 9) at 1 p.m. at Allan Saxe Field.