DENTON – With UNT up 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, junior outfielder Katie Clark stepped up to the plate sporting a .568 batting average and .590 on-base percentage. During the at bat, Clark doubled to left field and drove in two runs to spark a 5-run fourth inning in a 6-0 win over Northwestern State.
Clark came around to score on a Harley Perella single, and two batters later Hanna Rebar capped off her fantastic win with a 2-RBI double to give UNT a 6-0 cushion.
Clark finished 3-for-4 with three RBI’s.
“It gave us a little momentum to keep pushing through in the fourth inning,” Clark said. “It’s all about momentum, so once you got it you have to roll with it. I had no doubt the girls behind me would come through.”
With the win, North Texas (8-1) captured the Mean Green Classic title with a 4-0 record over the weekend.
“It felt amazing to come out and do that at home,” Clark said. “There were some good teams we were playing and I’m really proud of how everyone came out. We had a lot of energy all weekend long and just kind of crushed it and it was cool.”
North Texas finished the weekend with 45 total hits and 36 runs. Sunday’s game happened to be the only time all weekend the Mean Green failed to reach double digit hits – they reached 9. North Texas finished the weekend with 45 total hits and 36 runs.
In fact, eight of the nine UNT players who started on Saturday and Sunday currently have an OBP of .400 or higher.
But let’s not get all caught up in the powerful offense. Hope Trautwein and Jenna Goodrich combined for a shutout on Sunday afternoon, allowing just two hits.
Trautwein currently holds an ERA of 0.54 with a 4-0 record, while Goodrich has a 1.93 and a 3-1 record.
“Hope has been solid and she did what she needed to do,” coach Rodney DeLong said. “She got into a really good rhythm today and yesterday. She’s very sharp right now.”
Another thing that brought Lovelace Stadium to life was the attendance over the weekend. The Talons – the UNT student fan group – showed up on Friday night for the home opener and made lots of noise.
The 2,566 spectators on hand throughout the weekend were excited and chanting “North Texas” every time the Mean Green plated a run.
“We had a great turnout with the crowd,” DeLong said. “I hope that continues to grow, we want to put on a show. When we play, we want people to enjoy their time out here and I hope they did. I hope more people come moving forward."
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