ARLINGTON, Texas — After dealing with trouble in both the first and second innings, Lamar University softball pitcher Cameron Niedenthal suddenly found her groove as she would shut down the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks for a 2-0 complete game shutout victory. The Cardinals end the Boerner Invitational winning four of five games.
Niedenthal was the story for LU striking out six batters in seven innings while giving up three hits and two walks for her second win of the year. Sam Bean recorded a team-high two hits with one double while Felixia Hinojosa drove in the lone RBI for the Cardinals. Hayley Freudenberg, Audry Fleming, and Nicolette Ramirez would each record a hit as well.
Following two scoreless innings, the Cardinals would score a run in the next two innings thanks to a Maverick error. After Ramirez singled to lead off the third and advanced two bases, she came home when Bean reached on an error by the Mavs third baseman. In the fourth inning, Freudenberg singled, was pinch ran for by Estela Garza, who then advanced on a Kaylee Ancelot walk. That set up Hinojosa reaching on UTA’s second error and Garza scored to make it 2-0.
Meanwhile, Niedenthal faced early jams in the first two innings as she left runners in scoring positions both times. But following a leadoff double by UTA in the third inning, the transfer from Lamar State College Port Arthur went into a zone retiring 15 straight Maverick hitters from the third inning to the final out. Four of her six strikeouts would come in this stretch while her defense would help her end the game on the right note in the seventh inning to complete the win.
With Southland Conference play on the horizon, the Cardinals will battle former foe Sam Houston on Wednesday, March 8th at 6:30 p.m., in Huntsville.