Senior Courtney Auger came in for relief and got the win in the night cap against North Dakota Friday in the 2011 UTEP Invitational. (Image: Jeff Taylor)

EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP softball team defeated Texas State and North Dakota in the second day of action of the UTEP Invitational at the Helen of Troy Complex on Friday.

The Miners improved to 6-6 for the season with wins over Texas State, 5-4, and North Dakota, 13-9. UTEP had already posted an 8-5 win over North Dakota earlier this season at the UNI-Dome Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Bobcats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead to start the third game of the day. The Miners responded in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run off the bat of Camilla Carrera to knot up the score at two.

With two outs on the board and a runner on first at the top of the third, Texas State capitalized off a Miner error to regain the lead at 3-2. The Bobcats scored again on the next at bat on a double to right field that prompted a change in the circle for the Miners as senior Courtney Auger replaced freshman Megan Atchison.

Kia Moore led off the bottom of the third with a single up the middle. Junior Chelsea Troupe followed that with a double to left center to bring Moore home. The Miners tied up the game once again when Carrera singled to right field.

The Miners loaded up the bases in the fourth and scored the winning run on a wild pitch. UTEP held the Bobcats through the next three innings to take the game 5-4.

Moore, Troupe and Carrera finished the game with two hits each; Carrera led all Miners with three RBIs. Auger was credited with the win improving to 3-2 for the season.

The Miners returned to the field at 9 p.m. for the final game of the day following North Dakota’s 4-3 win over Bradley.

North Dakota scored one run to start things off in the first frame, but the Miners carried the momentum from the earlier game straight into the bottom of the first.

A pair of singles by Moore and Samantha Alvillar set up a two-run double by Troupe to put the Miners up 2-1. Kayleigh Walts was awarded the walk and Kayla Black’s triple to centerfield drove in two more runs to extend the UTEP lead to 4-1. Black later scored on a passed ball ending the inning at 5-1.

Troupe hit a solo homerun and Black crossed home plate on an error to put the Miners up 7-1 in the bottom of the third. Moore led off the third adding another run to the scoreboard on her own solo homerun as the Miners seemed to pull away with an easy win at 8-1. North Dakota, however, had other ideas.

With two runners on base, no outs and a pitching change, Caralyn Chewning blasted the ball out of the park to start a rally for the Fighting Sioux. North Dakota took a 9-8 lead before Auger took the circle for the Miners and struck out the next three batters in order.

Senior Becky Smith led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left center. Moore reached base on an error and the Miners loaded up the bases on a Troupe walk. North Dakota pitcher Michelle Frank gave up the tying run advancing Carrera to first on a walk as Smith marched home.

Black came up big for the Miners once again firing a two-RBI double to right field to score Troupe and Carrera and make the score 11-9 in favor of the Orange and Blue.

UTEP scored once again in the sixth for what would be the final score of 12-9 as Auger held off the North Dakota rally to improve to 4-2 in the season.

The Miners return to action at 11:30 Saturday morning against Bradley and again at 4 p.m. against North Dakota at the Helen of Troy Complex.