UNT Softball Outlasts Hartford

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Tampa, Fla. (3/21/12) – For the seventh time this season, North Texas played an extra-inning game. The Mean Green softball team needed nine innings to defeat Hartford, 4-3, on Wednesday afternoon at the USF Softball Stadium.

North Texas improved to 12-14 overall this season and 2-5 in extra-inning games, while Hartford fell to 3-9. The Mean Green’s second game of the day against USF was canceled due to inclement weather.

Brooke Foster brought home the winning run against Hartford in the bottom of the ninth with a hard-hit ball to third base, scoring Jennifer Beardsley. North Texas led early, but Hartford tied the game in the later innings.

Brittany Simmons (8-5) picked up the win in relief. She pitched 3.2 innings and held the Hawks hitless. Lauren Poole started the game and allowed two earned runs off six hits in 5.1 innings of work.

North Texas jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Lesley Hirsch led off the game with a single and after stealing second was brought home by a Foster double. Caitlin Grimes knocked home Foster with an infield single for the second run, and Dani Hoff drew a bases-loaded walk to put North Texas ahead by three. Hirsch, Foster and Grimes supplied the entire Mean Green offense with a combined six hits.

Poole held the Hawks to just one hit through four innings before getting into trouble in the fifth. With the bases-loaded and two outs, Hartford scored an unearned run off an error to get on the scoreboard. Hartford tied the game in the sixth with two runs off two hits.

Simmons held Hartford scoreless until the Mean Green scored in the ninth. Beardsley was placed on second, advanced to third on a Jessica Shields’ sacrifice bunt and then scored off Foster’s hit.

North Texas returns to action on Thursday, March 22 with a 2 p.m. against Dartmouth on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast.