NISC Championship Round: Game 4

Championship Round Day 2
UT ARLINGTON 6, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 3

FORT COLLINS, CO – UT Arlington advanced to Sunday’s title game in the 2019 NISC, breaking open its contest Saturday against Loyola Marymount with three runs in the sixth inning.

The Mavericks (35-27) will be back on the field Sunday at 12 p.m. for the title game, and if they lose they still get one more shot in the double-elim bracket. LMU (40-20) plays later Saturday against Iowa State, with the loser of that one heading home.

Both teams brought in a single run in the first inning. LMU got a first-pitch leadoff double from Molly Grumbo, and she scored on a single from Delanie Wisz. The Mavericks countered with a two-out RBI single from Aileen Garcia; they went ahead an inning later on back-to-back two-out doubles from Bri Burchianti and Melanie Mendoza.

Garcia drove in Laura Curry to make it 3-1 in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Whitney Walton drove in a run, and another came across on an error during the play, and then Krista Rude singled in one more run with two outs, on her third hit of the day.

Randi Phillips got the win for UTA, pitching 4 1/3 innings and allowing four hits to go with five strikeouts. Freshman Allie Gardiner came in to relieve, and she pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs in the final frame.