UTEP pitchers Courtney Auger (left) and Joanna Krienitz earned their first wins of the season against Northern Colorado on Thursday at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. (Image: Brian Kanof)

EL PASO, Texas – The word anxious didn’t begin to describe the emotions that went through the head of Joanna Krienitz. UTEP’s sophomore pitcher earned the starting nod on opening day from head coach Kathleen Rodriguez and wasn’t afraid to say she was tense.

“It was very nerve racking, the first half inning,” Krienitz said. “Nerves were going, especially for the first game of the season.”

After allowing one run to visiting Northern Colorado, in the top of the first, Krienitz hoped her teammates would pick her up in the following inning. They did.

The Miners (2-0) recorded five runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back as Krienitz shutdown the Bears in the next four innings to get her team a 12-1 win.

“Definitely, when the bats started going, it made me feel a lot better,” Krienitz said.

It relaxed Krienitz but, more importantly, it awoke the UTEP offense which had been dormant last season due to nagging injuries to Chelsea Troupe and Cami Carrera, and missed lead-off hitter Becky Smith. Combined, the top five batters in the UTEP lineup went 9 for 16, while the Bears were 4 for 12.

“We just came out and we just started swinging,” junior utility infielder Chelsea Troupe said.

That aggressive gameplan at the plate and free-swinging attitude allowed the Miners to take control of the game early and allowed Courtney Ware, to record five RBI and a homerun.

The Bears pitching staff of Kelli Henderson and Megan Wilkinson were stifled, allowing 12 hits and 14 runs between the senior and freshman, respectively.

“It was pretty good, we were pretty well prepared,” Troupe said of the first game.

The same could not be said for the second game.

Northern Colorado trotted out senior Jamie Juelfs, who didn’t see much action in the previous two games between the teams, and held the Miners scoreless through three innings, while also striking out three batters.

Her counterpart, Courtney Auger, matched her pitch for pitch. The difference between the two hurlers was, once again, UTEP’s slow-developing offense came alive. The Miners scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, en route to a 6-2 victory, ensuring a series sweep of the Bears.

”It was a good game,” Auger said. “It was my first game as a senior, and it was nice to come out and be able to throw like that.”

Auger finished the night by only allowing three hits and struck out seven batters. Offensively, Troupe led the team, going 2 for 3 and plating two RBI.

“It feels really good to be able to push through and handle my own business, and not have to rely on anybody else,” Auger said.

The Miners will pack their bags as they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to participate in the Northern Iowa Dome Tournament.

Carlos M. Silva, Jr. may be reached at show@minerillustrated.com.

Game 1                          R   H   E
-----------------------------------------
Northern Colorado... 100 00 -   1   6   2
UTEP................ 534 0x -  12  14   2

Game 2                            R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
Northern Colorado... 000 001 1 -  2  3  1
UTEP................ 000 213 X -  6  8  0