Box Score: Creighton 5, North Texas 4 (8)   

Box Score: Sam Houston State 5, North Texas 4 

Season Statistics 

DENTON -- The North Texas softball team saw its five-game winning streak snapped and dropped its first two home games of the 2016 season, falling to Creighton and Sam Houston State by the same 5-4 score on Sunday afternoon at Lovelace Stadium. It was the first time this season that the Mean Green (8-6) were swept in a doubleheader, as they finish with a 2-2 record at the North Texas Invitational.

"I'm highly disappointed with today's games," head coach Tracey Kee said. "For a team that played so well yesterday, to come out as flat and unfocused as they did today, that falls on those individual and that falls on us a group. Our energy was low, we had some poor at-bats and we didn't pitch well. You can't bring that type of game and expect to beat anybody."

Individually, junior shortstop Kelli Schkade extended her hit streak to 14 games to open the season, setting the school record with a solo home run in the fourth inning against Sam Houston State. Including her 6-for-15 weekend, she is hitting .431 with a hit in all 14 games, including seven multi-hit games. Her six home runs also leads Conference USA and ranks among the nation's leaders.

"She keeps doing what she's been doing," Kee said. "For her to keep playing every game like she has, it just shows that she's a mature student-athlete. She's a student of the game, she's a fierce competition, and I'm glad to see her break the record because she has earned every piece of every thing that she has accomplished."

Creighton 5, North Texas (8)

In a back-and-forth game that saw five lead changes, Creighton outlasted North Texas by a score of 5-4 in eight innings. It was the Mean Green's first extra-inning loss of the season, having defeated then-No. 21 Baylor twice in extra innings last weekend.

Junior left-hander Jessica Elder (4-2) threw her second career complete game, working a career-long 8.0 innings in the loss. She allowed five runs -- four runs -- and scattered nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

After giving up a run in the top of the second, North Texas grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by freshman outfielder Bailey Thompson and then an RBI double by junior shortstop Kelli Schkade.

Creighton regained a 3-2 lead in the fourth on a two-run home run that just cleared the wall in right field. As they did in the second, North Texas answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Freshman outfielder Makenzi Dawson provided the big hit of the inning with a two-RBI single to center to give the Mean Green a 4-3 lead.

The Blue Jays tied the game at 4-4 on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. They threatened again in the seventh, putting runners at first and second with two outs, before Elder ended the threat with a lineout to short.

In extra innings, Creighton scored a run in the top of the eighth, taking advantage of a fielding error that allowed a runner from third to score. In the bottom of the inning, freshman outfielder Hannah Gerecke laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance senior catcher Bryana Wade to third, but North Texas was unable to drive Wade home in the frame.

Sam Houston State 5, North Texas 4

After dropping the first game of the day, North Texas jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but they were unable to hold on to the lead, falling to Sam Houston State by a score of 5-4. The Mean Green scored two runs in the third and another in the fourth, but they managed just two hits after the fourth inning and five hits overall for the game.

"We're a young team," Kee said. "We understand that we're going have our ups and downs, but after three weekends, I was disappointed in the energy and lack of urgency today. After we dropped the first game, you would think that the team would come out fired up, but I don't think we ever flipped the switch and played with that sense of urgency."

North Texas pushed two runs across in the third inning, all with two outs, scoring the first run on a wild pitch and scoring the second run on an RBI single by senior second baseman Karly Williams. The Mean Green then loaded the bases, before Sam Houston State ended the threat with an inning-ending groundout to short.

In the fourth inning, junior shortstop Kelli Schkade extended the lead to 3-0 with a solo shot to left-center, her sixth home run of the season, and also set the school record for the longest hit streak.

The Bearkats got two runs back in the fourth inning, but junior Stacey Underwood limited the damage, stranding two runners in scoring position with a strikeout looking to end the frame. They broke through in the fifth, scoring two runs, including a two-out, go-ahead RBI single.

The Bearkats got two runs back in the fourth inning, but junior Stacey Underwood limited the damage, stranding two runners in scoring position with a strikeout looking to end the frame. They broke through in the fifth, scoring two runs, including a two-out, go-ahead RBI single.

Sam Houston State added an insurance run in the sixth to send the game to the top of the seventh. North Texas pulled to within a run on an RBI double by freshman outfielder Makenzi Dawson to score freshman outfielder Bailey Thompson, who led off the inning with a base hit to left. With the would-be, game-tying run in scoring position with one out, the Mean Green were unable to extend the game.

Quick Hits:

• With the weekend split against Creighton and Sam Houston State, North Texas is now 4-5 against Creighton and 4-8 against Sam Houston State
• North Texas dropped its first extra-inning game of the season, moving to 2-1 on the season
• North Texas lost its second and third one-run game of the season and is now 3-3 on the season
• Kelli Schkade has a hit in each of the first 14 games this season, including seven multi-hit games
• Makenzi Dawson had a multi-hit game in both games against Creighton and Sam Houston State, including the team's only multi-hit game against Sam Houston State
• Kelli Schkade, Karly Williams and Bailey Thompson also tallied multi-hit games against Creighton
• Makenzi Dawson stole two bases against Creighton and another against Sam Houston State, giving her six stolen bases in six attempts this season
• Bailey Thompson had a hit in each game this weekend, hitting a team-best .636 with six runs scored, one RBI and four stolen bases
• Jessica Elder worked a team-high 14.2 innings this weekend and posted a team-best 2.86 ERA, giving up seven runs -- six earned -- on 14 hits with two walks and six strikeouts

What's Next:

North Texas continues its 10-game homestand with a midweek matchup against McNeese State on Thursday night (6 p.m.), before beginning play at the Mean Green Spring Fling on Friday.