DENTON, Texas - Brianna Love scored the ULM softball team's
only run in a two-hitter 8-1 loss to North Texas Saturday evening at Lovelace
Stadium to split the Sun Belt Conference doubleheader after winning game one
7-2 in 10 innings. Love's solo-shot home run marked the 41st of her
career and put her in a tie for first place on the all-time home run leaders
list in program history.
Love and Melissa Rivera were the only Warhawks with a hit as
they went 1-for-2 and 1-for-3, respectively, while Love had one homerun and one
stolen base. Love's one run also puts her just four shy of tying the career
record of 158 runs at ULM (24-18, 10-7 SBC).
Stephanie Routzon (7-5) started in the circle and picked up
the loss after allowing eight hits and six runs with two strikeouts in 4.1
innings. Heather Fritz relieved Routzon for the final 1.2 innings and gave up
another two runs on two hits with one strikeout.
After a scoreless first inning North Texas put a run on the
board in the bottom of the second when Lisa Johnson doubled to plate Leslie
Hirsch from first base. ULM answered immediately with Love's 12th home
run of the season to left center to knot the score 1-1.
North Texas (18-24, 4-13) broke the tie with another RBI-double
in the bottom of the third to go up 2-1 before they scored four runs in the fifth
inning to run ahead 6-1. Mariza Martinez nailed a two-RBI single to send two runs
home followed by a fielding error which allowed two more to score.
The Mean Green's third RBI double of the game capped the
scoring run in the sixth inning when Martinez nailed one through the left side
to earn another two RBI and give North Texas an 8-1 win.
Martinez, Mallory Cantler and Brooke Foster each had
identical 2-for-4 performances and one double along with Johnson while Foster scored
a team-high two runs and Martinez had a game-high four RBIs. Ashley Kirk had an
impressive complete-game performance in which she allowed just one earned run
on two hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.
ULM and North Texas play the rubber match of the series tomorrow
afternoon at 12 p.m. at Lovelace Stadium.
