DENTON (4/14/06) - The North Texas softball team held two leads against Middle Tennessee, but the Lady Raiders posted two home runs in the seventh innning to steal an 8-5 conference win on Friday afternoon at Denia Park.
The Mean Green (16-25, 0-4 Sun Belt) has now lost six straight games and is winless in conference play, while Middle Tennessee extended its overall record to 12-30-1 and 2-2 in the Sun Belt.
Freshmen Kadie Platt and Sarah Jones both had career days for the Mean Green. Platt went 3-for-3 in the game with three RBI, while Jones posted two hits and scored two runs.
The Mean Green took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after an RBI single by Platt. Junior Christen Jonse scored on the play after reaching base on a fielder’s choice.
Middle Tennessee took the lead in the fourth inning, scoring four runs off three hits and one Mean Green error. North Texas regained the lead over the next two innings, scoring two runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. Jones and Platt hit back-to-back triples in the fourth inning and Susan Waters hit a sacrifice fly to cut into the MT lead with two runs. The triples were both career firsts for the freshmen.
Junior Monica Garcia scored the tying run in the fifth inning off a Lady Raiders error. Jones posted a single, but the leftfielder misplayed the ball, allowing Garcia to score from first and Jones to reach third. Platt knocked in Jones on the next play with a single to put North Texas ahead for the second time, 5-4.
In the top of the seventh, MT’s Shelby Stiner hit a solo homer against starter Kristina Fowler to tie the game at 5-5. Muriel Ledbetter drew a walk off Jessica Smith, who relieved Fowler, and Melissa Weiland knocked her home with a two-run long ball that won the game for the Lady Raiders.
North Texas left two runners stranded in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Mean Green stranded 11 baserunners in the loss.
The Mean Green looks to get back on track on Saturday, April 15 with a doubleheader against Middle Tennessee. The first pitch is set for 11 am at Denia Park.
