XOXO from Helen of Troy: UTEP Softball Sweeps Montana
EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP softball team closed out day two of the Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament in thrilling fashion, sweeping Montana in a pair of one-run contests Saturday afternoon at Helen of Troy Field. The Miners outlasted the Grizzlies 15-14 in eight innings in game one before securing a 5-4 victory in game two.
With the sweep, UTEP improves to 5-5 on the season, while Montana falls to 3-6.
Overall Recap
It was an offensive showcase for the Miners, who batted .382 on the day and out-hit Montana in both contests (16-12 in game one; 10-7 in game two). UTEP scored in eight of the 15 innings played Saturday, with seven of those frames producing multiple runs.
The Miners were aggressive on the bases, going a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts, and played flawless defense, committing zero errors across both games.
Bri Garcia paced the offense with a .625 batting average (5-for-8), while Marissa Burchard followed closely at .600 (5-for-7). Nine different Miners recorded hits, and seven posted multi-hit performances. Burchard tallied three of UTEP’s seven doubles on the day, Brantley Lavas added a triple, and Kenna Carranza accounted for both of the Miners’ home runs.
Defensively, Iliana Munoz led the way with nine putouts, followed by Camrynn Guthrie with eight, while Burchard recorded eight assists.
In the circle, Tatyana Vega earned both victories to move to 5-2 on the season. She made two appearances with one start, threw a complete game in game two, totaled 10.0 innings pitched and struck out six.
The sweep extends UTEP’s winning streak against Montana to five games, as the Miners now lead the all-time series 5-1. UTEP also improves to 10-11 all-time on Valentine’s Day.
Game 1 UTEP 15, Montana 14 (8 innings)
Game one was a back-and-forth thriller that featured 29 combined runs and multiple lead changes before the Miners walked it off in extra innings.
UTEP struck first for the first time this season. In the bottom of the first, Burchard stole home, and Carranza doubled to left field to give the Miners a 2-0 lead.
After Montana tied it in the second on a two-run homer, UTEP erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by Carranza’s three-run homer to right center to make it 8-2. Burchard added a two-RBI double in the third to extend the lead to 10-4.
Montana chipped away and eventually stormed back with a four-run sixth and a three-run seventh to take a 14-12 lead. But the Miners answered.
In the bottom of the seventh, Lavas delivered a clutch two-RBI triple to left center to tie the game at 14-14 and force extra innings.
In the eighth, Garcia singled up the middle to bring home the winning run, sealing the 15-14 walk-off victory.
Game one also marked Ryann Presswood’s first start of the season.
Game 2 UTEP 5, Montana 4
UTEP once again struck early in game two. Guthrie doubled to center field to drive in the first run, and Garcia followed with an RBI single to put the Miners up 2-0 in the first.
After Montana trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the fifth, UTEP responded with a three-run bottom half. Guthrie lifted a sacrifice fly, Carranza blasted her second home run of the day, and Hogan added an RBI double to extend the lead to 5-1.
Montana made it interesting late with a two-run homer in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh, but Vega shut the door to complete the game and secure the 5-4 win.
Game two featured several milestones, as Ari Leon recorded her first collegiate hit and Jayde Pagdilao tallied her first hit of the season. Carranza’s homer marked her second long ball of the day.
ON DECK
UTEP closes out the Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament on Sunday, Feb. 15. The Miners will look for redemption against Idaho State at 9 a.m. before facing nationally ranked No. 4 Oklahoma at 12 p.m. MST. Sunday is a sold-out day, and both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
