New Mexico Survives Scare to Beat Middle Tennessee
2/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? New Mexico (4-2) carried a five-run advantage into the bottom of the seventh inning and survived a last-inning charge by Middle Tennessee (1-6) to claim a 7-5 win in game five of the Hampton Inn Crimson Classic at the Alabama Softball Complex in Tuscaloosa on Saturday morning.
The Lobos scored three in the fourth and three in the sixth and were carried by the bottom of their lineup. Hitters five-thru-nine combined for nine hits and five runs scored. Gabriella Parra had two hits and three RBI, while teammate Sara Loeffelholz drove in two on a triple.
Kyla Nelson went the distance for New Mexico, giving up eight hits and five runs, only two of which were earned. She struck out three and walked two in the seven innings of work.
Middle Tennessee dropped to 0-3 at the Crimson Classic and will be the No. 4 seed entering the final two rounds of play. Alabama and Georgia Tech play the second game of the day to determine seeds one through three.
The No. 1 and No. 4 seeds square off in the first game of the evening session at about 4 p.m., with the two and three seeds to meet in the nightcap. The winners advance to the championship game on Sunday afternoon at approximately 1:30. The losers meet in the consolation game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Stay tuned to RollTide.com for updates from the 2008 Hampton Inn Crimson Classic, including scores, game recaps and links to audio and live stats.
