LUBBOCK, Texas - North Texas softball collected a pair of double-digit wins at the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic in Lubbock as it wrapped up its final non-conference tournament before American Conference play begins.
The Mean Green (10-12) won three out of five games, with both losses coming against No. 2 Texas Tech (22-1). Head coach Cody White said the challenging matchup was intentionally scheduled to prepare the team for the matches ahead.
"We are never just going to chase wins in these first four weeks," White said. "We are going to try to prepare our team for something special, and we are starting to play a lot better."
Abilene Christian -- Feb. 27
The Mean Green opened the tournament with a 10-2 win in five innings against Abilene Christian (2-17).
North Texas was propelled to victory by a four-run second inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from sophomore first baseman Ariah Mitchell, her first Division I home run.
Senior pitcher Britney Lewinski (W, 4-4) threw her fourth complete game of the season, allowing two runs and two walks while striking out five.
Junior catcher Elizabeth Moffitt and junior utility player Madison Conley added to the lead in the fifth inning. Conley doubled to bring in freshmen infielder Eva Daniels and Mitchell for two runs, while Moffitt followed with a single to left field to bring in freshman utility player Lianna Hull to increase the lead to 9-2.
Freshman outfielder Kaycee Slovak secured the 10-2 run-rule win with a pinch-hit double to left-center field, plating sophomore catcher Rylie Harris to end the game and seal the Mean Green's first win of the tournament.
No. 2 Texas Tech -- Feb. 27
Following their opening game victory, the Mean Green fell to the Red Raiders 10-2 in five innings to end day one of the tournament.
North Texas took an early 1-0 lead when Moffitt drove in Mitchell on an RBI single after Mitchell had reached base on an error.
Freshman infielder Laila Nobles hit her first career home run in the fourth inning, becoming just the third player to homer off of junior star Red Raiders pitcher Kaitlyn Terry this season.
Junior pitcher Anneca Anderson (L, 4-3) had five walks and struck out two while allowing three home runs. The Red Raiders were also aggressive on the basepath, stealing five bases and capitalizing on three North Texas errors.
Abilene Christian -- Feb. 28
The Mean Green opened day two with a 16-6 win in their second matchup against ACU, the sixth-highest scoring game in program history.
North Texas hit a season-high four home runs with Conley homering twice and Nobles adding her second of the tournament. Senior third baseman Riley McNemar added the fourth homer for the team, her first of the season.
ACU cut into the lead in the fourth inning with two home runs, one off Anderson and another off junior pitcher Kayleigh Smith (W, 1-2). Smith ended up earning her first win of the season in relief, allowing one run and striking out one.
By the end of the match, North Texas had capitalized on seven walks, four stolen bases and two errors to secure the double-digit victory.
Detroit Mercy -- Feb. 28
North Texas carried its momentum into its next match of the day in an 18-1 win over Detroit Mercy (3-11), tied for the second-most runs in a game in program history.
Junior utility player Bradi Harman got the scoring started with a three-run home run in the first inning. Mitchell and Conley each recorded RBIs in the second inning to give North Texas an early 6-0 lead.
The Mean Green added another four runs in the third on a walk, an error and a fielder's choice. Moffitt originally lined out to end the inning, but Detroit Mercy sophomore pitcher Erin Flynn was called for an illegal pitch.
Following a delay to sort out the ruling, Moffitt returned to the plate and hit a three-run home run to extend the lead 13-0. Confusion followed after the final out in the top of the fourth inning had been recorded when officials and the press box mistakenly signaled the end of the game.
Players began exchanging handshakes, fans started leaving and the scoreboard was turned off before White realized only four innings had been completed.
Under NCAA softball rules, the game would not have counted had no one realized the game was unfinished. White instructed his players to return to the dugout as the Texas Tech athletic staff ensured the umpires remained and informed Detroit Mercy of the situation.
Subsequently, North Texas scored five more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Detroit Mercy added one in the fifth to avoid a shutout before Smith finished the job, closing the game with an 18-1 victory.
No. 2 Texas Tech -- March 1
North Texas closed the tournament with a 7-2 loss to Texas Tech. Despite the loss, the Mean Green recorded seven hits and committed no errors, an improvement from their two earlier meetings with the Red Raiders.
Moffitt recorded another RBI after her single drove in Conley in the third inning. She hit another single in the fifth inning, allowing Mitchell to score on a Texas Tech throwing error.
"I think that this was a big weekend for us," Moffitt said. "You could see the growth from the first [tournament] to this weekend."
North Texas held the Red Raiders to five runs entering the seventh inning, ending Texas Tech's six-game run-rule streak.
The Mean Green will host No. 5 Oklahoma University on Tuesday before traveling to open conference play against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
"I am ready to go. [...] I am a competitor, I just want to win," Lewinski said. "I do not care if it is [Oklahoma University], Texas, Texas Tech or any other school, do not care. I want to win."