TEMPE, Az. – UTEP softball’s Kaylin Jackson singled in the bottom of the seventh that brought in Aaliyah Rebolledo for a 4-3 walk-off victory over Illinois State (0-6).
The Miners (5-3) split day one of the Littlewood Classic, falling to the Big 10’s Minnesota (4-4) 10-1 [5] in game two on Friday.
Game 1 | UTEP 4, ISU 3
UTEP came out swinging in the bottom of the first frame to take an early 3-0 lead. Ajia Richard put the Miners on the board with a double hit to right center that plated Lexi Morales.
Jackson followed with a groundout, but it made way for Karina Somoza to cross the dish. Ashlynn Allen added the third run when she singled to left and scored Richard.
Aalijah Alarcon found herself in trouble in the top of the second as Illinois State loaded up the diamond. A sac-fly by the Redbirds landed them on the board to make it a 3-1 game.
After two scoreless innings, Illinois State doubled to center field to narrow down the lead, 3-2, in the fifth.
UTEP pitcher Zaylie Calderon (2-0), who was credited with the victory, held the Redbirds to no runs in the sixth, but allowed one run on two hits in the seventh to tie up the game. But the Miners came up clutch as Jackson’s RBI single to left center advanced Rebolledo for a 4-3 walk-off victory.
Miner Quick Hits
- Lexi Morales: 3-for-4
- Kaylin Jackson: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
- Ajia Richard: 1-for-3 2B, RBI
- Ashlynn Allen: 1-for-3, RBI
Pitching Highlights
- Aalijah Alarcon: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER,
- Zaylie Calderon: 2.0 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 2 K
Game 2 | MINN 10, UTEP 1
Minnesota jumped out to an 8-1 lead after two innings. The Gophers scored three runs on one hit in the bottom of the first to take a 3-0 advantage. The Miners landed on the board after a Morales single up the middle to bring home Marijn Crouwel. Minnesota answered back with two homeruns in the bottom of the second tallying five runs on four hits to extend the lead, 8-1. The Gophers added two more runs in the fourth which proved to be enough as the Miners fell on a 10-1 run-rule.
Miner Quick Hits
- Lexi Morales: 3-for-4
- Savannah Favre: 1-for-2, 2B
ON DECK
UTEP will start day two of the Littlewood Classic (Saturday, Feb. 19) against Portland State at 9 a.m. MT.
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