by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas � Kaitlin Ryder blasted a career-high two home runs and Taylor Grohmann threw a complete game (no earned runs) as the Miners clipped Cardinals, 11-3 [5], in game two on Monday�afternoon at Cardinal Softball Field.
The Miners (10-26) split their two contests against Incarnate Word (7-29) as the Cardinals won game one 5-2.
UTEP 11, UIW 3 [5]
Courtney Clayton, who registered her 13th multi-hit game of the season, led the contest off with a single that set up Ryder for her first dinger of the afternoon. The junior cranked a two-run shot on a 2-1 pitch over center to give the Miners an early 2-0 edge.
The scoring onslaught happened in the second frame as the Miners batted around the order and racked up seven runs on six hits.
In the second, Lindsey Sokoloski, who was perfect at the plate, singled to right on a one-out, first pitch toss. Clayton knocked Sokoloski across the dish after she singled to right to make the score 3-0, while an error in right advanced Clayton to third. Ryder registered another RBI, this time on a single to right that scored Clayton.
Cortney Smith was hit by a pitch to put two on base for Kiki Pepi. Smith and Ryder recorded a double steal before Pepi came up with a two-run double through the left side to make the score 6-0.
The inning continued when Taylor Sargent singled on a bunt, advancing Pepi to third. Sargent went on to steal second and Pepi took home when the fielder dropped the ball on Sargent�s steal attempt, giving the Miners a 7-0 advantage. Cross and Bryanna Molina drew back-to-back walks that set up back-to-back RBI by Sokoloski and Clayton to make the score 9-0.
Incarnate Word would score a run in the bottom second and tacked on two more in fourth (9-3).
But the Miners wanted to finish the contest early as Ryder led off the top fifth with her second long ball of the contest over center on a 3-1 hurl. Following a pair of outs, Sargent doubled off the fence in center and Cross connected on an infield single that took a crazy bounce away from the first baseman that paved the way for Sargent to score for the eight run lead.
Starting pitcher Grohmann (1-1) allowed a lead-off single by Danielle Ramirez, but Marcela Lopez and Christy Trevino each popped out to Smith. Alex Alonzo grounded out to end the contest.
Grohmann won her first contest of 2017, walking none on 84 pitches.
Ryder tied her career high in knocks with a 3-for-4 effort, while recording four RBI in the process. Sokoloski also tied her career high in hits with her 3-for-3 game, along with scoring a run and registering her fourth RBI of the season. Pepi upped her RBI total to a team-best 30, while Ryder ranks second with 26 RBI. Clayton scored a pair of runs and tallied a pair of RBI on her 2-for-3 outing. Clayton is tied for no. 5 with Kayla Oranger on the program�s all-time hit�s list (174). Sargent also tied her career high in hits (3-for-4) and scored two runs.
UTEP 2, UIW 5
The Cardinals used a four-run second as the Miners couldn�t dig themselves out of the hole. Ryder put her squad on the board with a sac-fly to center that scored Ariel Blair to make the score 4-1.
Incarnate Word got the run back in the sixth.
Clayton used her first hit of the game to plate pinch runner Brianna Red, but the Miners couldn�t figure out Cardinals� pitcher Joanna Velencia. The starting hurler struck out nine batters in a complete game effort.
Blair and Clayton tallied the Miners� only two hits.
Up Next
UTEP will return to Conference USA action as it hosts WKU for the first time in program history. The Miners and Lady Toppers will play a doubleheader on April 8, starting at 3 p.m., while Sunday�s series finale is set for a 1 p.m. start. WKU (20-20, 4-8 C-USA) stands in fifth place in the East Division.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas � Taylor Sargent recorded a career-high three RBI on a pair of doubles and Kiki Pepi hit her second home run in as many days, but UTSA came up with timely hits in the sixth to earn an 8-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
The loss puts the Miners (9-25, 4-8 Conference USA) and the Roadrunners (14-22, 4-8 C-USA) tied in the West Division. The series finale got off to a late start (4 p.m. CT) due to rainy conditions in the morning. The game was scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
In the first, Pepi connected a two-run liner over center to give the Miners an early 2-0 advantage. With the score 2-2 after UTSA tied the game in the second, Sargent helped her squad go up 3-2�with a hard double hit to center that plated Kaitlin Ryder during the third. Ryder had walked with one out and eventually reached second after Pepi reached first on an error.
The Roadrunners would tie the contest again in the fourth, but Sargent crushed her second double of the afternoon that scored Courtney Clayton and Pepi in the fifth. Clayton led off the inning with a single to right and Pepi drew a two-out walk to set up the runners in scoring position.
UTSA would go on to score five runs on four hits, a pair of walks and a fielding miscue in the sixth to run away with the win.
UTEP tallied seven hits led by Sargent�s 3-for-3 day, while she tied her career best with the two doubles. Sargent, who made the start at first base, came up with an amazing diving catch on a pop fly in the fourth. Kaley Pyles connected on a towering hit in the which the other infielders lost the ball in the sun and Sargent made a mad dash towards the circle to come up with the extended snag for the out.
Starting pitcher Erika Harrawood threw 5.0 frames (four earned runs), walked none and struck out a batter.
Up Next
UTEP will continue its San Antonio tour as Incarnate Word is on the Monday slate. The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. CT/Noon MT. It was mark the final nonconference contests for the Miners. UTEP will continue C-USA action on April 8-9 when it hosts WKU.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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AUSTIN � Tobi Amusan continues to dominate in the 100m hurdles as she claims gold (12.72), while also setting a new meet record at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, presented by Spectrum.
�Tobi and Michael had an outstanding performance this week, breaking two meet records in a historic event like this is outstanding,� UTEP head coach Mika Laaksonen said. �We still have to work hard with most of our athletes to get them going by the championship season.�
The sophomore came into this weekend with the nation�s fastest-time after running 12.63 at Kidd field and continues her undefeated outdoor season. Amusan�s time of 12.72 sets a new meet record previously held by Ashlee Williams (12.83) set in 2005.
In the women�s 1,500m run, Lilian Koech ran a personal-best of 4:22.12 tying the seventh-fastest time in school history, earning a second-place finish. Her time registers as the eighth-fastest time in the nation. Samantha Hall garnered a sixth-place showing the discus throw tossing for 50.52m (165-9).
The 4x400m relay team of Dreshanae Rolle, Florence Uwakwe, Madison Gibson and Ada Benjamin clocked a 3:40.95
Jonah Koech earned a sixth-place showing in the mile run with a time of 4:03.75.
The UTEP track and field program returns to the track April 13-15 for the Mt. SAC Distance Carnival and the UCLA Invitational.
Follow @UTEPTrack on Twitter for live updates.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas � In a wild game two contest, Courtney Clayton and Cortney Smith each slammed solo home runs and Kiki Pepi gave UTEP the go-ahead lead in the 10th on a solo shot, lifting the Miners to a 7-6 victory after trailing 3-0 early in the game on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Softball Field.
�It was a battle all day and it�s one of those where after the first game we could�ve just laid down and chalked up a bad day,� fourth-year head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. �The kids were just resilient; kept fighting and kept coming back with their backs against the wall. That is all I ask of them and they did a great job today.�
It was a great triumph following a Miners� (9-24, 4-7 Conference USA) game one, 8-1, loss to the Roadrunners (13-22, 3-8 C-USA). With the game two win, UTEP moves one game ahead of UTSA in C-USA West and snapped a five-game losing streak in the process.
�Sometimes life doesn�t care what happens to you,� Echo-Hawk said. �It�s all about how you respond because no one will ever feel sorry for you. You just need to keep fighting because it�s easy to quit and make yourselves victims. Short-term memory also comes into play. A few of our girls were having bad games and then came up with big hits.�
UTEP racked up 26 total hits in the two games, including a season-high 17 hits in the second contest � tied most during the Echo-Hawk. Clayton went 3-for-5 as it was her 12th multi-hit game of the season and no. 54 of her career, while Pepi (3-for-4) and Taylor Sargent (3-for-6) tied their career highs in hits.
Kaitlin Fifield won her first game of the season, as she threw a career-high 10.0 innings. Fifield now has 23 wins in her career, ranking behind Kelly Curan (24) and Danielle Pearson (25) on the program�s all-time list.
The series finale is Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. CT/Noon MT.
UTEP 7, UTSA 6 [10]
The Roadrunners took an early lead, scoring three runs in the second inning. But instead of rolling over, the relentless Miners fought back.
Smith started the comeback when she connected on her seventh home run of 2017, a solo shot over right center on a 2-1 count to get within two runs (3-1). It was Smith�s first home run since March 4 at Texas Tech. Smith finished the contest 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and two runs.
UTEP then took a 4-3 lead in the sixth on five hits. With one out, Ariel Blair used one of her two hits to single to left. Clayton and Kaitlin Ryder singled to center on back-to-back at bats to load the bases for Smith. The sophomore singled in Blair to bring the Miners within a run. Pepi, who tallied three RBI in game two, singled to right center, plating Clayton and Ryder to give her squad a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom sixth, UTSA tied the contest 4-4 after Kaley Pyles knocked in Bailee Baldwin, who led off with a single to right. Pyles, though, was thrown out at second base for the second out. Taylor Oberg doubled, but Fifield forced Angelica Nino to ground out to Smith to end the inning.
After a scoreless seventh, the runs started the cross the dish during the nail-biting last three frames.
Smith reached first after being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Pepi advanced her teammate to second on a sac-bunt and then Sargent doubled down the left field line, plating Smith for a 5-4 advantage.
But the Roadrunners would answer in the bottom eighth. Baldwin doubled to right field off the fence with one out and Hailey Garza singled down the left line, advancing pinch runner Erica Sanchez to third. Pyles, as she did in the sixth, came up with another big hit that scored Sanchez to tie the contest 5-5.
In the ninth with two quick outs, Clayton launched a towering solo shot over left on a 1-2 pitch to give the Miners a 6-5 edge. It was her first dinger since March 11 at North Texas.
But the contest would not end there as UTSA tied the score in the bottom ninth. Lindsey Stewart led off the home half with a single up the middle, while proceeding to steal second base. Celeste Loughman reached on a bunt single and also followed by snagging a base to put runners at second and third with no outs. Rylee Rodriguez grounded out to Smith, but Randee Crawford tied the contest with a sac-fly hit to center in which Stewart scored. Fifield then forced Sanchez to pop out the second base as Clayton made an over-the-shoulder catch to halt the game-winning run from scoring.
The 10th inning drama was set up for Pepi, who had not homered since March 1 at NM State. Pepi saw seven pitches and finally connected on the eighth pitch, a liner over left on a 3-2 count that put the Miners ahead for good.
Fifield used only five pitches in the bottom 10th as the final three batters went down in order to conclude the epic contest. Fifield helped her cause on the defensive side when she recorded four assists from the circle.
The 10-inning game was the longest since the Miners fell at Florida Atlantic on April 19, 2014 in 11 frames. Saturday�s extra inning nail-biter is tied for fourth longest in UTEP history. The longest was a 13-inning affair on May 7, 2009 against the East Carolina at the Conference USA Tournament in El Paso with UTEP coming out on top 4-3. The Miners played 11 innings twice, as the second was on April 7, 2013 at UCF. UTEP and Southern Miss went 10 frames on April 16, 2011, while another 10-inning contest happened on March 20, 2007 against no. 5 Arizona State � an 8-7 Miners� win.
UTEP 1, UTSA 8
The Roadrunners scored five runs the second inning to pull away from the Miners. Crawford connected on her sixth home run of the season, a solo shot and Loughman doubled in a pair of runs in the second.
Loughman gave her squad an 8-0 lead after she hit a three-run home run over right center.
The Miners received a RBI single from Taylor Sargent in the fifth; Brianna Red scored the run in the pinch-run situation for Kiki Pepi, who drew a walk to lead off the inning. It was Sargent�s first RBI since Feb. 25 when she connected on a two-run single at UC Riverside.
The Miners connected on nine hits on the day, led by Courtney Clayton, Cortney Smith and Taylor Sargent who each finished 2-for-4. Sargent tallied her first multi-hit game since March 18 against Middle Tennessee.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Tobi Amusan continues to dominate the 100m hurdles as she clocked the fastest qualifying time in the 100m hurdles (12.75) Friday morning at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, presented by Spectrum.
The sophomore will compete at 1:17 p.m. (MT) and will be televised on the Longhorn Network.
The women�s 4x400m relay team also qualified for Saturday�s final, advancing with the sixth-fastest time (3:41.20). Despite a shaky handoff, the team comprised of Dreshanae Rolle, Florence Uwakwe, Madison Gibson and Ada Benjamin were able to stay composed and win their heat.
The 4x100m relay team of Israel Ramsay, (Tobi) Amusan, (Florence) Uwakwe and(Madison) Gibson just missed out of reaching the final by less than a second. The Miners clocked a time of 45.40. The last qualifying time came from Virginia Tech at 45.37.
Saturday�s slate will feature Samantha Hall in the women�s discus, which has a 1:30 p.m. (MT) start. Lilian Koech will participate in the 1,500m final set to start at 2:40 p.m., followed by the men�s mile run featuring Jonah Koech and 800m champion Michael Saruni. The meet will conclude with the 4x400m relay at 3:40 p.m.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Tobi Amusan continues to dominate the 100m hurdles as she clocked the fastest qualifying time in the 100m hurdles (12.75) Friday morning at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, presented by Spectrum.
The sophomore will compete at 1:17 p.m. (MT) and will be televised on the Longhorn Network.
The women’s 4x400m relay team also qualified for Saturday’s final, advancing with the sixth-fastest time (3:41.20). Despite a shaky handoff, the team comprised of Dreshanae Rolle, Florence Uwakwe, Madison Gibson and Ada Benjamin were able to stay composed and win their heat.
The 4x100m relay team of Israel Ramsay, (Tobi) Amusan, (Florence) Uwakwe and(Madison) Gibson just missed out of reaching the final by less than a second. The Miners clocked a time of 45.40. The last qualifying time came from Virginia Tech at 45.37.
Saturday’s slate will feature Samantha Hall in the women’s discus, which has a 1:30 p.m. (MT) start. Lilian Koech will participate in the 1,500m final set to start at 2:40 p.m., followed by the men’s mile run featuring Jonah Koech and 800m champion Michael Saruni. The meet will conclude with the 4x400m relay at 3:40 p.m.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | Athletes, UTEP (Local) RSS
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UTEP Athletics officials have been notified by the NCAA that 7-1 center Matt Willms has been granted a sixth year of eligibility and will return for the 2017-18 season.
�We think this is a big deal,� UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. �It gives Matt his first offseason in five years to actually be able to work out, lift and improve his game. This is when players get better. He has enormous potential and getting him back is huge, both for him and for us. I�d like to thank the NCAA for their thorough review of his case and for making the right decision.�
Willms has played only three full seasons (2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17) in a career wracked by injuries. He has undergone two major surgeries, one for a torn labrum in his shoulder and another for a fracture of the nevicular bone in his foot.
Last year, coming off the foot surgery, Willms enjoyed his finest season as a Miner, averaging 11.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while leading Conference USA in field goal percentage (.591). He scored in double figures 18 times and was named Conference USA Player of the Week on Jan. 30 after averaging 26.0 points and making 24-of-31 shots (77.4 percent) on the Miners� road trip to WKU and Marshall.
Willms will enter his senior year with career totals of 693 points, 416 rebounds and 98 blocked shots with a .571 (274-for-480) field goal percentage. He has played in 95 games and ranks ninth in school history in blocks.
NCAA rules permit players five years to play four. Willms redshirted in 2012-13, meaning he has been on campus for five years already. UTEP officials had to submit paperwork to the NCAA detailing Willms� situation and requesting the sixth year, but nothing was a given.
�When I first found out that I may not get my eligibility back next year, it started going through my head. What if I can�t play? Where do I go from here? Do I go overseas? Would I even have an option there,� Willms said. �Once the process started, they said it�s difficult [to get the sixth year] and it put more doubt in my mind. I got a call from coach today telling me that I�ve been accepted. The first thing I thought about is the amount of talent we have next year, and being a senior and being able to lead the team. It means a lot to me to come back and wear the Miner jersey for one last season.�
Willms is already mapping out his offseason goals.
�One thing that I want to do is put on at least 15 pounds,� he said. �Another thing is to work on my foot speed, get my foot speed back, work a little more on my post moves, moves I can counter and go from there. Those are my goals, just to try to get better and once the new guys come in, give them some pointers on what to work on and what to expect.�
