ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington softball team (7-7) saw its comeback bid come up just short as they lost to UTSA (10-5) with a final score of 8-7 in the third-place game of the Boerner Invitational at Allan Saxe Field on Sunday.
 
Taking part in the game as the visiting team on its home turf, the Mavericks came up to bat first and jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. RC Phillips took to the circle making the start for UTA, but the junior couldn't make it out of the first inning before the Roadrunners tacked on four early runs.
 
Down 4-1 in the top of the third, redshirt sophomore Kimber Cortemelia brought the Mavs back to within a run after leaving the yard for a two-run bomb and her fourth home run of the season.
 
UTA's pitching collapsed again in the bottom half of the inning as UTSA led off the frame with two solo long balls before pushing two more runs across the plate to go up 8-3.
 
Making her collegiate debut, freshman Abby Mckeown came into the contest in the fourth and held the Roadrunners off the rest of the way, giving the Mavs a chance to mount a comeback.
 
After Cortemelia knocked Whitney Walton home with a sac-fly in the top of the fifth to make the score 8-4, the Lake Jackson, Texas, product stepped back to the plate in the top of the seventh with two runners on base trailing by the same score. For the second time in the game, she walloped a pitch to deep left field to pull UTA to within a run of the Roadrunners at 8-7.
 
UTA's resurgence came up just short as the Roadrunners recorded the final three outs of the inning without letting another Mav reach base. The loss marks the second time in three days the Mavs have lost to UTSA.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
Cortemelia accounted for all seven of UTA's RBI in the game, including five that came off of two home runs. The other two came off of sacrifices, both of which plated Walton. The seven RBI place her second in UTA's record book for the most RBI in a single game, coming up just shy of Reagan Wright's eight from a game against ULM in 2018. She now has five long balls on the season and the two-hit effort marks the fifth time she's recorded a multi-hit game on the year.
 
UTA's shortstop Walton jump-started every inning the Mavs were able to score in after recording four singles in all four of the frames UTA produced runs in. The senior captain's four runs tied a career-high she set against South Alabama last season. Her four-hit day also tied her career high set last season against North Texas while that mark has her sitting tied atop UTA's all-time list for most hits in a single game.
 
Mckeown saw her first collegiate action of her career when she came out of the bullpen and into the game in the fourth inning today. The freshman threw three scoreless frames and gave up just two hits while recording four strikeouts. The Bellville, Texas, product wrapped up her Division I debut by striking out the side to end the sixth inning.
 
Madison Miller extended her hit-streak to five games with two base-knocks on the day.
 
Brittany Wyllie recorded her first multi-hit effort of the season and finished with one run scored.
 
UTA only struck out three times and out-hit the Roadrunners 12-11, but for the first time all season the Mavs didn't reach base with a walk, while UTSA recorded a free-pass on five different occasions.  
 
All of UTA's runs and RBI were accounted for by the top three Mavs in the lineup.
 
THEY SAID IT – HEAD COACH PEEJAY BRUN
"While we didn't play our best throughout the entire weekend, I saw improvements in areas that I feel will help us as we move forward. We will make some needed changes to our practice plan to get us more prepared for competition."
 
THE RUNDOWN
Shortstop Whitney Walton got the Mavs rolling from the get-go as the senior captain smacked a lead-off single to left field in the top of the first. After advancing to second on a passed ball, Brittany Wyllie sacrificed her over to third base. With one out, Cortemelia executed fundamentally sound softball as she hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield, allowing Walton to easily cross home plate for the first UTA run of the game.
 
Headed to the bottom of the first with a one-run lead, starting pitcher RC Phillips didn't bring her best stuff to the circle on Sunday as the junior couldn't make it out of the first inning. She recorded one out before allowing three singles to load the bases. The Jefferson, Texas, native then proceeded to walk the next batter to give UTSA its first run of the game.
 
Allie Gardiner was called upon from the bullpen to get the Mavs out of the first inning and she did so, but not before permitting three more UTSA runs to score.
 
Still trailing by three runs headed into the top of the third, Walton looked to spark a rally with a one-out single to right field. Two batters later, Cortemelia added onto her RBI total with a blast to left field, cutting the Roadrunner lead down to just one with a score of 4-3.
 
With momentum looking to move back toward the Mavs' dugout, UTSA hastily snatched it right back with two solo long balls to lead off the bottom half of the third inning. Freshman Kenedy Hines was inserted into the circle and loaded the bases before giving up a two-run double, allowing UTSA to increase its lead to five at 8-3.
 
Following a scoreless fourth inning, it was Walton again who looked to kick-start a big inning for the Mavs with a lead-off single to center field.  After Wyllie kept the inning going with a hard-hit single to third, Cortemelia racked up her fourth run batted in of the game with another sacrifice RBI, this time coming off a flyout to deep center field to cut the UTSA lead down one run at 8-4.
 
After freshman pitcher Mckeown threw her second-consecutive scoreless frame, junior catcher Courtney Ogle laced a line-drive single over the third baseman's glove to lead off the top of the sixth inning. Madison Miller promptly doubled to center field to put two UTA runners in scoring position with zero outs. Looking to cut into the lead, the Mavs next three batters were retired in order to end the inning.
 
Mckeown came back out for the sixth inning and impressed by striking out the side, sending the Mavs back out into the seventh still trailing by four runs.
 
Walton then led the final inning off with her fourth single of the game before Wyllie immediately reached base with her second base-knock of the contest. Cortemelia came to plate for the fourth time in the game with runners in scoring position and she came through once again, this time smacking a three-run four-bagger to deep left field.
 
The utility player's second home run of the contest brought UTA to within a run, but the Roadrunners retired the next three Mavs to end the game with a final score of 8-7.
 
ON DECK
The Mavs will look to ride the ship when the team heads to Denton, Texas on Tuesday to take on North Texas at Lovelace Stadium at 6:00 p.m. The Mean Green have gotten off to a 12-2 start to begin the 2020 campaign due in large part to the pitching staff's overall 0.85 team ERA.