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April 25, 2009
EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP softball team lost a doubleheader against Tulsa on Sunday at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex, falling 3-0 and 9-3. The Miners drop to 24-25-1 overall, 7-12-1 in Conference USA. The Miners return to action at noon on Sunday for their final regular season game. Seniors Amber Bennett, Jennifer Davis, Shea Lodes and will be honored. Stacie Townsend and Becky Smith each hit lead off home runs to give the Miners 58 homers, breaking the season standard of 57 set in 2006. Chelsea Troupe had the third RBI of the day after blasting her first career triple in the nightcap. Townsend (15-15) and Kelly Curran (8-8) were the losing pitchers. Townsend allowed three runs on four hits and recorded eight punch outs while Curran gave up six runs - four earned - while striking out five. Smith was the only Miner to get two hits on the day including her dinger, the second of the season for the junior transfer. Both teams put away the side in the first three innings of the series, but Tulsa made good of a hit by pitch in the fourth inning that eventually became the Golden Hurricane's first run on the scoreboard. Tulsa added another two runs in the fifth stanza, starting with a double by Christian Timmons. Jessica Stoelke drew a walk and Kelly Chapman put down a sacrifice bunt advancing the runners to second and third. After a strikeout, Laura Lindsey singled into centerfield, driving Timmons and Stoelke home. Camilla Carrera and Ashley Ellis had UTEP's only offense in the opening game of the twinbill, both singles, as the Miners left just three stranded in the 3-0 loss. Tulsa scored one run in the first and third innings, three in the fifth and two in the sixth and the seventh in for the 9-3 victory to close the doubleheader. Tulsa scored one run in the top of the first inning of the nightcap to take a 1-0 lead on the Miners. Kailey Yarmer smacked a two-out single just past short stop and she came home off a double by Vanessa Vice. The Golden Hurricane converted a wild pitch to score in the top of the third but the Miners answered in the following frame with a run of their own off of Townsend's dinger that hit the top of the scoreboard. Three runs in the fifth pulled Tulsa ahead 5-1 but UTEP cut the lead to three runs with as Smith launched the ball inches inside the leftfield foul pole for her second homer of the season. Smith was the only UTEP player to post multiple hits in the double dip, knocking down an bunt single in the third inning. She finished was the only UTEP player to post multiple hits in the double dip, knocking down a bunt single in the third inning. She finished 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Tulsa added a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull away 9-2. UTEP was able to get another run in the seventh inning as Courtney Ware worked Tulsa's Jordan Kinard for a walk. Diana Parada pinch ran for Ware and Troupe blasted her triple plating Parada. That was all, as Kinard struck out Carrera and Townsend to end the game. UTEP will then take to the road for its final tune-up before it hosts the 2009 Conference USA Softball Championship Presented by Helen of Troy, May 7-9.
 
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