The North Texas softball team (22-12, 10-2 Conference USA) won their fourth straight game against the Sam Houston State Bearkats (16-19, 8-4 Southland) by a score of 2-0 in Huntsville on Wednesday. With this win, the Mean Green maintain control of the first place spot in the C-USA Western Division.
Sophomore Hope Trautwein recorded her second career no-hitter against the Bearkats, posting six strikeouts and improving her ERA to 2.38.
“Hope stepped in and that’s our A-game,” head coach Rodney DeLong said. “It was great to see her throw that well, I haven’t seen her throw that well in a while. That’s the Hope we need to make a run during the stretch.”
It was the first no hitter for the program since Trautwein last completed the feat nearly one year ago today on April 7, 2018 against Mississippi Valley State.
“[Trautwein’s] got really good stuff,” DeLong said. “She walked a few, but the biggest adjustment tonight was she pounded the strike zone. When her ball is moving like that she’s as good as anybody.”
She walked three batters in her no-hitter, improving Trautwein’s record to 14-4.
This was the Mean Green’s fifth shutout of the season and their eighteenth game allowing three points or less.
“Our defense is making routine plays,” DeLong said. “We’ve been pretty clean lately and I’m proud of those infielders and our efforts.”
Freshman Tayla Evans, who has a .342 batting average on the season, went 2-of-3 from the plate Wednesday and drove in one run.
The Mean Green got on the board early over the Bearkats when Evans drove in junior Harley Perella for the first score of the game.
The teams second run was scored in the final inning of the game on an RBI from sophomore Camille Grahmann to bring in junior Sally Gastelo for the score.
“Earlier in the year we had some trouble but we continue to grind, continue to get better and that’s what it’s going to take for us to make a run in this stretch,” DeLong said.
UP NEXT: North Texas will return to Denton to host a three-game weekend series against Saint Mary’s (7-23) on April 5. The first game will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and will play doubleheader on Sunday at 10 a.m and noon.
Featured Image: Junior Hope Trautwein stares at the hitter as she begins her wind up to pitch at the game against Texas-El Paso on March 17, 2019. Image by: Jordan Collard.