North Texas softball (3-8) defeated East Texas A&M (5-6) 4-0 on Wednesday behind a complete game shutout by junior pitcher Anneca Anderson.
Anderson (W, 2-1) allowed just five hits and matched her career-high of eight strikeouts en route to the victory in the home opener.
“Every pitch, she competed,” head coach Cody White said. “We all know Anneca’s talent, but now she’s got momentum going […] we’re proud of her. She’s taking the steps to lead this team in the right direction.”
Anderson found herself in a jam early after allowing back-to-back singles in the first inning, but left the runners stranded after striking out two Lion hitters. She settled into a groove on the mound in the subsequent innings, relinquishing just one base hit over her next five innings of work.
“I was honing in on my rise ball, knowing the batters were moving around in the box, so I had to make a couple little adjustments to make that pitch more effective,” Anderson said. “I feel like I pitched pretty well.”
Anderson found herself with run support after the first inning as the Mean Green plated two runs.
The table was set with a leadoff walk to junior utility player Bradi Harman, followed by a base hit lofted from sophomore first baseman Ariah Mitchell, which deflected off Lions’ freshman shortstop Zoey Hipolito’s outstretched glove.
Junior utility Madison Conley followed up with a warning track shot that landed in right field to advance Harman to third. Batting cleanup, junior catcher Elizabeth Moffitt scorched a double that one-hopped the center field wall, bringing in the game’s first run.
“[On deck] I was scouting what she was throwing,” Moffitt said. “I’m normally an aggressive hitter and I like the first pitch, so that was my approach.”
Senior third baseman Riley McNemar continued the onslaught with an opposite-field RBI to chase Lions senior starting pitcher Maddie Muller away from the game, with just five batters into her outing.
The Lions relieved Mueller with junior pitcher Madison Kloepper, who neutralized the Mean Green through her first 3.2 innings of work, allowing no runs on three hits.
The Mean Green were threatened again in the second inning, with Moffit up at the plate in a bases-loaded situation and two outs. She made loud contact once more on a 2-0 pitch but lined the ball harmlessly to Hipolito at short to squander the chance.
No scores were allowed until the bottom of the fifth inning. Junior utility Madison Conley started a North Texas rally by rocketing the first pitch off the left field wall, cruising into second base with a leadoff double.
Moffitt stepped into the box with another RBI opportunity up for grabs. This time, she cranked a 1-1 pitch located on the outside part of the plate deep into the Denton twilight sky and over the right-center field fence to give the Mean Green a controlling 4-0 advantage.
“I was just waiting for a pitch over the plate,” Moffitt said. “The strike zone was [being called] very tightly and it was really beneficial for hitters.”
Moffitt’s team-leading fifth home run and 12th RBI of the year set off a roar from the Mean Green faithful as she rounded the bases, ending Kloepper’s relief outing. From there, the Mean Green preserved their lead over the final two frames to put an end to a four-game losing skid.
“We came in with a lot of energy, it’s really exciting to [play] the home opener and see all of our fans in the stands,” Moffitt said. “It’s really comforting and a good time.”
Coming up next for the team, North Texas heads to Commerce, Texas, for the Lion Classic. The squad has two more matchups against the Lions, a double-dip against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and matchups against the University of St. Thomas and Southern University, all on the docket. Game one is set for Friday at 12:30 p.m. against the Tommies.
“We still have some things that we’ve got to solidify, but we’re putting the bricks down to build the house,” White said. “It’s going to take a little time, but we’re doing it and we saw progress today.”