Softball

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (2/14/09) – Junior Ashley Lail pitched seven shutout innings, and Mariza Martinez hit a three-run homer to lead the North Texas softball team to a 6-0 victory against Detroit Mercy at the Corpus Christi Invitational on Saturday morning. Creighton defeated the Mean Green, 5-1, in its second game of the day.

The Mean Green improves to 2-1 this season and is now tied in the series with Creighton, 3-3. NT is 1-0 against Detroit Mercy.

"We did well in the first game, but fell flat in the second,” said North Texas head coach TJ Hubbard. “Ashley looked good in the circle once she got into a rhythm out there. Jennifer had a rough start, but she was on fire the rest of the way.”

In her first game back after missing the 2008 season with a knee injury, Lail pitched seven shutout innings against Detroit Mercy. She allowed just three hits.

The Mean Green offense backed her up, outhitting Detroit Mercy, 8-3. Four of the eight hits were for extra bases. For the second day in a row, Martinez started the game off with a hit. She singled and was knocked home by a Mallory Cantler RBI double. Rebecca Waters followed suit with an RBI double of her own, scoring Cantler to give North Texas an early 2-0 lead.

North Texas added four more runs in the second inning and that is all the squad needed the rest of the way. Sophomore Renae Bromley started the second inning off with her first career triple. After Anna Barren reached base on a fielder’s choice, Martinez brought everyone home with the Mean Green’s first home run of the season. Freshman Lisa Johnson capped the scoring with an RBI single.

Jennifer Smith lost her first appearance in the circle despite striking out nine Creighton batters in the second game. She allowed three earned runs off eight hits.

The North Texas offense was unable to get anything going until the seventh inning when Waters posted a sacrifice fly, scoring Bromley who reached base on an error. Creighton outhit North Texas, 8-3. Johnson posted two of NT’s three hits. The freshman is the only Mean Green player to post at least one hit in NT's first three games.

North Texas rounds out play in the Corpus Christi Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 15 with two games at 9 and 11 am.