March 7, 2009

Box Score

• Freshman Lelani Bernardino singled to leadoff the game and improves her hitting streak to a career high four games.

• Lelani Bernardino scored the first run of the game in the first inning on a two-out error by the shortstop off a groundball hit by senior Tori Gross. The run is Bernardino's 15th of the season.

• Tori Gross initiated a two-run scoring sequence for the Tigers in the first inning as Memphis took a 3-0 lead. Gross stole second, her second stolen base of the season. The throw to second went into centerfield, allowing senior Brittany Gooch to score from third and Gross to advance to third. Gross then advanced home when the throw to third was wild. Gross now has 15 runs on the season and Gooch scored her eighth. The three unearned runs came on two hits and three UTEP errors.

• Memphis is 6-1 when scoring in the first inning and 8-1 when scoring first this season.

• In a park that already allows plenty of extra base hits, the wind is creating even more havoc for the outfielders. The Miners took advantage of the swirling winds in the first inning when Amber Bennett led off with a double to left center. The hit looked like an ordinary pop up to left field, but in the air, the wind took hold and pushed it to the left center fence. Chelsea Troupe then hit her sixth home run of the season to center field to bring UTEP within one.

• Memphis junior pitcher Vanessa Walle took control after giving up the two extra base hits and ended the first inning by striking out the side. It is the first time Walle has struck out the side at Memphis.

• UTEP tied the score at three in the bottom of the third inning, scoring an unearned run on two singles and a Memphis error. Chelsea Troupe and Camilla Carrera led off the inning with singled on the right side. Stacie Townsend then hit a fielder's choice to second that advanced Troupe to third. Ashley Ellis hit a one-out ground ball that went through the legs of the shortstop into left field to score the run.

• Senior Tori Gross hit a one-out double to right center in the fourth inning, but the Tigers failed to advance her further. The double is the fourth of the season for Gross. The hit increases Gross' hitting streak to a season long eight games.

• UTEP scored two more unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead. Jennifer Stalter hit a one-out single up the middle. She advanced to second on a fielder's choice by Amber Bennett to third. Memphis committed its second error of the game on the play when the throw to second to put out Stalter was low. Chelsea Troupe then knocked in Stalter on her third hit of the game with a RBI single to right field. The second run in the inning came on a sacrifice fly by Camilla Carrera.

• The Miners added a run in the bottom of the fifth to increase its lead to three. Ashley Ellis led off the inning with a single through the left side and advanced to third on a double to left center by Jennifer Davis. After Becky Smith was hit by the pitch to load the bases, Jennifer Stalter received an RBI walk. Sophomore third baseman Maddie McKinley threw out Davis at home on a fielder's choice for the second out, and UTEP ended the inning with the bases loaded.

• Senior Leila Dolfo singled in the top of the sixth inning to increase her hitting streak to seven games. The streak matches her career long.

• With a single in the sixth inning and a double in the fourth, senior Tori Gross had her fourth multi-hit game of the season and 22nd of her career. Gross also matched a career high with two stolen bases in the game. Gross knocked in her ninth RBI of the year with the single in the sixth.

• Freshman Kamri Chester hit her first career triple in the top of the sixth inning to right field that scored two runs. It is Chester's second multi-RBI game of the year. She now has nine RBI.

• Junior Vanessa Walle had an RBI single up the middle in the sixth inning. The RBI is her eighth of the season.

• The Tigers scored seven runs in the top of the sixth to take a four-run lead, 10-6. Memphis scored the runs on five hits and four UTEP errors. Senior Brittany Gooch scored the first run of the inning after reaching on an error and coming around on a single by junior Vanessa Walle. Senior Tori Gross then knocked in senior Leila Dolfo with a single to center field. Freshman Kamri Chester knocked in Walle and Gross with a triple to right field and then scored on a fielder's choice by sophomore Maddie McKinley. McKinley and freshman Lelani Bernardino scored the sixth and seventh runs in the inning after a passed ball and a error by the catcher.

• UTEP answered with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a four-run lead. The Miners scored the eight runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer by Camilla Carrera and a two-run single Courtney Ware. Memphis used three pitchers in the inning. Vanessa Walle, sophomore Kimber Bossom and senior Lyndsey Sterling all came in to pitch.

• Junior Vanessa Walle had her third multi-hit game of the year with a single in the sixth and a double to right field in the seventh. The double is her second of the season.

• Freshman Kamri Chester had her sixth multi-hit game of the season with a triple in the sixth and a single in the seventh.

• Freshman Nikki Moreno knocked in a run with a bases loaded fielder's choice. Her fifth RBI of the season scored senior Tori Gross.

• Memphis scored two runs in the top of the seventh and had the tying run on second, but the Miner's Stacie Townsend struck out Alyssa Palmeiri and Lelani Bernardino to end the game.