DENTON - Behind patience at the plate and strong pitching, North Texas softball swept Saturday's doubleheader against UTEP. The Mean Green clinched their second straight conference series win and will look for the full three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon.

"That was kind of our game plan coming in," Head Coach Rodney DeLong said about the patience by his hitters. "We did a good job taking pitches and working the count."

North Texas drew 22 walks in the two-game set, the most across two games in all of 2019. The pitching staff would not be outdone by the hitters however, North Texas surrendered just three runs on nine hits in the doubleheader.

North Texas 10, UTEP 2 (5)
The Mean Green bats came alive early as Tayla Evans singled home Rhylie Makawe to make it 1-0 in the first. UTEP answered with a solo home run from Illena Santos to left field in the second to tie the game at one.

North Texas came right back at the Miners in the second when Lacy Gregory drove home Kenzie Young to take a 2-1 lead. Then Evans put some distance between the two teams with her second hit, a two-run double to right-center on the first pitch she faced to give North Texas a 4-1 lead. Evans finished 3-for-4 with three RBI in the first game.
After Makawe drove home Jenna Goodrich in the third, Perella followed with a towering grand slam that made the score 9-1. The Mean Green would bat around, seeing Goodrich come back to the plate to bring home a run and make the game 10-1.

"It was kind of cool because it was my first one ever," Perella said. "To have that to just kind of put the game away was good for us."

Hope Trautwein turned in a stellar performance allowing just one run on one hit, striking out seven in four innings of work. She was relieved by Bailey Tindell in the final frame. Tindell allowed one run on two hits facing four batters. UTEP grabbed a consolation run in the fifth to reach the final score.


North Texas 5, UTEP 1
It was a pitcher's duel through four innings. Both pitchers allowed just two hits and limited base-runners. The Mean Green had the majority of the population on the base-paths, loading the bases twice, but were unable to put any runs on the board.

Kasey Flores came inches from a solo home run in the fifth for UTEP, but it was just left of the left-field foul pole. Hannah Gerecke kept hers inside the foul poles in the fifth - a two-run home run to left. It was a great time for the senior to hit her first homer of the season to give the Mean Green a 2-0 lead.

"When your pitcher's dealing you want to have their back," Gerecke said. "It was one of those were you felt it. I just wanted it to go and keep going."

Trautwein entered the game with a 2-0 lead in the sixth after a stellar shutout performance from Goodrich. Goodrich went five innings, allowing just two hits and retiring 10 straight. North Texas brought another run home in the sixth with the bases loaded yet again when Gerecke drew a walk to force a run home. It was the 10th walk drawn as a team in the ballgame. Goodrich and Ochotnicki drew consecutive walks to follow pushing the score to 5-0.

UTEP grabbed a consolation run off a solo home run in the seventh, but Trautwein shut things down. The Mean Green will attempt to sweep for the first time this in C-USA play on Sunday.

"We have to do a lot like today," DeLong said. "We had a lot of energy. Played good defense, pitched well. If we hit, we have an opportunity to sweep and we need to. Hopefully we come to play tomorrow ready to go."

First pitch on Sunday is set for noon.