UTEP and Indiana Best Softball on Day Two of A&M Invitational

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In the morning game of the Texas A&M Invitational, UTEP pitcher Kaitlin Fifield tossed a no-hitter against the Islanders to complete the sweep over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team with a 2-1 victory. Colleen Bentke threw her first complete game of the season in the loss.

The Islanders scored their first runs of the tournament with pair of late, but an early six-run deficit was too much for the Blue and Green to overcome, as A&M-Corpus Christi fell 6-2 in the afternoon contest to Indiana.

RELATED: Box Score vs. UTEP | Box Score vs. Indiana

GAME 1 vs. UTEP, Loss, 2-0

Bentke (3-2, 4.11 ERA) shook off her rough outing against the tournament hosts last night, as the College Station native retired 12 of her first 15 batters without allowing a hit against the Miners.

UTEP opened the scoring in the fifth, as a Courtney Clayton sac-fly plated Courtney Smith to give UTEP the lead, before Smith added an insurance run with an RBI single an inning later.

Fifield had a career day in the circle for the Miners. In seven innings of work, the Miners righty struck out nine batters and allowed just one walk for her first career no-hitter.

For the Islanders, Bentke scattered seven hits, while giving up a pair of earned runs and walking two.

GAME 2 vs. Indiana, Loss, 6-2

The hitting struggles continued for A&M-Corpus Christi in the second game of the day versus the Hoosiers, as Cosette Hernandez and Adriana Farris recorded the only hits for the Blue and Green through the five innings.

Indiana took the lead on a three-run homer by Erin Lehman in the second inning. Kelsey Dotson's RBI sac-fly in the third sparked another three-run inning for the Hoosiers, which would be enough distance for the win.

The Islanders began a comeback in the sixth inning after Dani Tefft and Hernandez singled to open up the inning. Liz Carter's single to right plated Hernandez to snap an 18-inning scoreless streak. 

Later in the inning, Jessica Mendez picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice, as Candice Hadd came across the plate before the ball reached the glove of Indiana catcher Kassi Farmer. The pair of runs was all the Islanders offense could muster for the remainder of the game.

Carter (4-4, 3.24 ERA) went the distance for the Blue and Green in the circle scattering five hits and striking out a pair. Five walks from Carter proved to be the difference, as four of the six runs for Indiana reached base on walks.

Hoosiers starting pitcher Tara Trainer struck out four in four innings of one-hit softball. Emily Kirk earned the save for three innings of work with a pair of earned runs against and three strikeouts.

ON DECK

A&M-Corpus Christi caps the Texas A&M Invitational on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. with a rematch against tournament hosts Texas A&M.