LAFAYETTE, La. – The UT Arlington softball team battled tough, but couldn't pull off an upset in Lafayette, losing two games to No. 10 Louisiana on Saturday. They lost 2-0 in game one of the double-header before falling 4-2 in game two.
Four pitchers combined to pitch the double header for the Mavericks.
JoJo Valencia and
Allie Gardiner each went three winnings in game one, while
Laura Henriksen and
Randi Phillips tossed game two.
Offense struggled for the Mavs on Saturday, finishing with just seven combined hits in the two games.
Reagan Wright and
Laura Curry finished with a team-high two combined hits over the two games.
GAME ONE RECAP
Valencia picked up the start in the circle in the first game, pitching three innings before being replaced by Gardiner. Valencia allowed one run, off three hits, while Gardiner gave up two hits in three innings and one unearned run.
In the box, Curry led the Mavericks with two of their three hits in the game.
Reagan Wright also came away with a hit, while
Aileen Garcia reached base from a walk.
The Cajuns jumped on top in the second with an RBI single, as the runner at second beat the throw home from Curry in centerfield.
The Mavs threatened in the top of the fourth, getting two base runners, but with two outs, the threat was quickly erased as the Cajuns escaped the inning unharmed.
Louisiana added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. After Raina O'Neal reached off an error, a single by Alissa Dalton brought her home to make the score 2-0 after five innings.
The Mavs kept the Cajuns off the scoreboard the remainder of the game, but were unable to bring home any runs, falling 2-0 in the first game of the doubleheader.
GAME TWO RECAP
Henriksen picked up the start for the Mavericks in game two, her third of the year. She went allowed two runs off three hits in two innings pitched. Phillips replaced Henriksen in the third inning, pitching the final four innings where she gave up two runs off four hits.
Louisiana got the ball rolling in the first inning, using a two-out triple down the first base line to score their first run of the game. With a runner on third, Henriksen got out of the inning, striking out the final batter.
The Mavericks joined the Cajuns on the board in the second inning. The first three batters reached base for UTA before Wright crossed home plate from a wild pitch to tie the game. With two outs, Walton hit a line drive up the middle of the infield to score one more run and put UTA on top of the Cajuns 2-1.
The Cajuns returned the favor to the Mavs in the bottom frame, scoring off a wild pitch to tie the game at two.
After two scoreless innings, Louisiana scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out rally. The first run crossed the plate with a hard ground ball, making its way through the six-hole, before a double on the next pitch score the next run as the Cajuns took a 4-2 lead.
UTA kept Louisiana off the scoreboard for the next two innings, giving themselves a chance to rally in the seventh.
KJ Murphy led off the seventh inning with a double, but the Mavs were unable to pull off a late rally.
UP NEXT
UTA will travel to Sam Houston State for their second game of the season against Bearkats on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m.
