FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The UT Arlington softball team (34-27) defeated the Loyola Marymount Lions 6-3 in the semifinals of the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) on Saturday afternoon, scoring all six runs with two-outs. The Mavericks advance to the NISC Championship game and await the winner of LMU and Iowa State.
 
Randi Phillips (18-14) started in the circle for the Mavericks, pitching 4.1 innings.  Phillips allowed just one run off four hits while fanning five batters. Allie Gardiner came in for relief in the fifth, pitching the final 2.2 innings. She allowed two runs off five hits while picking up her 8^th save of the season – the fourth most in the NCAA.
 
UTA finished with 9 hits, led by Krista Rude's 3-for-4 day at the plate. Whitney Walton and Aileen Garcia finished with two RBI each, while Rude and Melanie Mendoza each had one.
 
A leadoff double by Molly Grumbo, followed by a sacrifice bunt for the Lions put a runner on third base.  A ground ball up the gut of the Maverick defense by Delanie Wisz scored Grumbo to give LMU the first run of the game.
 
The Mavericks answered in the bottom frame.  Aileen Garcia hit a blooper to right field to score Krista Rude from second base to tie the game at one.
 
"We wanted to bring the momentum and energy from yesterday's game into this game," said Head Coach Peejay Brun. "I felt like we did right from the first inning, being able to answer back and score so quickly."
 
UTA took the lead in the second inning using a two-out rally.  Back-to-back doubles by Bri Burchianti and Melanie Mendoza put the Mavs on top 2-1.
 
Scoring was halted until the fifth inning, but once again, the Mavericks used a two-out rally to get on the board.  After Laura Curry recorded her NCAA leading 89^th hit on the season, Garcia hit a line drive to the left center gap to score Curry from first and extend the Maverick lead to two runs.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mavericks got two base runners on with two-outs.  Whitney Walton hit a single to left field, but a fielding error allowed two runs to score to push the Maverick lead to 5-1. Krista Rude scored Walton with a single up the middle to increase the UTA lead to five runs.
 
LMU began to rally in the seventh inning. With two-outs, the Lions picked up three straight hits to score two runs and make the score 6-3, but Gardiner ended the rally with a ground out to second base to secure their spot in the championship game.
 
UP NEXT
The Mavericks advance to the NISC Championship game and await the winner of LMU and Iowa State. The Championship game will start at 1 p.m. Central with a second game following, if necessary.