Boca Raton, Fla. (5/11/12) - The North Texas softball team advanced to the semi-finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with an 8-0 win against the third-seeded FIU Panthers on Friday afternoon at the FAU Softball Stadium.
The Mean Green improves to 28-25-1 and 2-1 in the conference tournament. FIU falls to 28-27 and is eliminated from the tournament with the loss. North Texas will now play top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette in its third elimination game at approximately 9 p.m. tonight.
North Texas jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and then added five insurance runs in the fourth inning. A solo run in the fifth inning sealed the run-rule victory.
Ashley Kirk (13-12) picked up her second win of the tournament. She pitched four innings and gave up just one hit. Brittany Simmons pitched a perfect fifth inning.
Rupp continued her hot hitting by leading off with an infield single in the bottom of the first. She was sacrificed to second and then scored by a single in the right field gap by Maddelyn Fraley. Caitlin Grimes followed with a single up the middle to give North Texas a 2-0 lead. North Texas left the bases loaded in the first.
North Texas added to the lead with five runs in the fourth inning. Four of the six hits were for extra-bases, including back-to-back homers by Fraley and Grimes. Jordan Terry led off the inning with a double, and Dani Hoff knocked her home with a second double.
Rupp singled to put two runners on base for Fraley, who hit a deep fly ball to right center field that just left the park. Grimes followed with a homer to left field to cushion the Mean Green's lead to seven runs.
With her four RBI today, Fraley moved into second place on NT's single-season record list with 47.She now has 13 home runs, while Grimes hit her 10th long ball of the season.
North Texas outhit the Panthers, 12-1. Grimes led the Mean Green with three hits and two RBI. Fraley went 2-for-3 with four RBI.
The 28 wins for the Mean Green is the second-most victories in school history.