DENTON - North Texas softball earned its first Conference USA series sweep of the season with a 3-1 victory over UTEP Sunday afternoon.
 
The Mean Green improved to 16-9 on the season and 5-1 in conference play with the sweep.
 
"It's tough to beat somebody three times," head coach Rodney DeLong said. "We didn't do so well at the plate, but timely hits there at the end, executed some bunts at the end and we played great defense."
 
The series finale was a pitcher's duel through the first five innings with both starters not giving up much. Sophomore ace Hope Trautwein started for the Mean Green, going the distance to record her 10th win of the season, Julia Wright went the distance for the Miners (7-19, 2-4 C-USA) but came away with her seventh loss on the season.
 
Freshman Tayla Evans was the hot bat in the Mean Green lineup all weekend, and continued her run in Sunday's game. The Collinsville native went 3-for-3 with an RBI in the finale, and drove in four runs on six hits in the weekend for an .857 batting average across the three-game set.
 
"I was a bit more comfortable in the box," Evans said. "I focused a lot on my hitting in practice this week."
 
Trautwein was efficient in the first inning, only needing five pitches to retire the side. The sophomore struck out the leadoff hitter looking on just three pitches and added a groundout and flyout on the next two she hurled.
 
In the bottom of the inning, senior Harley Perella reached base with a one-out single. Evans dug in in with two away and shoot a single to right driving in Perella for the first run of the game.
 
The Miners countered in the top of the second with their only run of the game on a solo home run by Pate Cathey, her second of the weekend both coming off Trautwein.
 
Trautwein settled in, retiring 11-straight hitters after the home run. The Miners led-off the sixth with a single to left, just their second hit of the game. Trautwein came  back to get back-to-back fly outs, but walked the bases loaded after losing hold of an at-bat against Ariana Valles, and issuing an intentional pass to Kacey Duffield to load the bases.
 
Duffield was the reigning C-USA player of the week coming into the weekend.
 
Trautwein struckout Cortney Smith, UTEP's second best hitter behind Duffield to keep the game tied and get the Mean Green back to the plate. Evans came up with her third hit of the game to leadoff the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Kourtney Williams pinch ran for her at first.
 
Senior Hannah Gerecke moved Williams to second with a sacrifice bunt, Senior Sally Gastelo who pinch hit for junior Jenna Goodrich drew a five-pitch walk setting up for junior Katie Clark, who pinch hit for junior Hanna Rebar to have a chance. Clark drew a full count walk to load the bases.
 
Junior Nicole Ochotnicki drew the third straight walk to bring in Williams and give the Mean Green the lead for good at 2-1. Junior Kenzie Young hit a sac-fly to center to plate Gastelo and put North Texas up 3-1.
 
Trautwein faced five hitters in the top of the seventh. After giving up a one-out single, she struck out two batters to seal the win and the series sweep for the Mean Green.
 
She finished the day with seven strikeouts, pushing her season total to 90.
 
The Mean Green will be back in action Wednesday when they hit the road for a matchup with #2 Oklahoma.