DENTON (4/17/04)- North Texas won its first conference game in the new era of Mean Green softball, defeating Middle Tennessee State, 7-2, on Saturday afternoon at Denia Park.
NT (16-43, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference) snapped a six-game losing streak with the 7-2 win, but the Lady Raiders (22-14, 4-2 Sun Belt Conference) came back to take the nightcap, 2-0.
Freshman pitcher Katy Maxey won her 11th game of the season, allowing two runs off eight hits in seven innings of work in the Mean Green victory.
The Mean Green outhit the Lady Raiders, 11-8 in the opening game. Eight North Texas players posted at least one hit in the win. Junior Stephanie Cranmer led the NT offense in the first game, going 3-for-3 with three RBI. The left fielder posted a three-hit game for the third time this season. Her three RBI in a single game was a personal best.
Cranmer’s double in the second inning scored one run, and her single in the fourth allowed two Mean Green runners to score. The Mean Green scored four runs off four hits in the fourth inning to extend its lead to five, 7-2. NT has outscored its opponents in the fourth inning this season, 39-28.
Junior pitcher Mandy Hacker held the Lady Raiders hitless through the first four innings of the second game. She allowed one hit in the fifth and then gave up a solo home run in the sixth inning.
The Mean Green offense stalled in the second game of the doubleheader, posting only two hits. Freshman Heather Bostic and Cranmer each posted a hit in the second game. Bostic has hit safely in five games and recorded two sacrifice flies in the first game.
North Texas returns to action on Sunday, April 18 when it hosts Middle Tennessee State in a doubleheader at Denia Park. The first pitch is at 1 pm.
