Freshman Kayla Black went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in the 6-2 loss against East Carolina Saturday afternoon at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. (Image: Jeff Taylor)

EL PASO, Texas – What started out to be another pitcher’s duel between East Carolina’s Toni Paisley and UTEP’s Coutney Auger turned out to be another loss for the Miners not because they didn’t fight throughout the game, but rather because they were playing two opponents Saturday afternoon.

UTEP lost 6-2 to the Pirates Saturday afternoon at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex and fell to 16-32 on the season and 1-17 in Conference USA. ECU improved to 34-16 and 14-7 in C-USA.

Early on, the game looked to be another great pitching matchup as both Auger and Paisley controlled the game in the circle by not allowing a run to score. UTEP freshman Kayla Black broke things open with a sliding triple that allowed Samantha Alvillar to score in the bottom of the third. Untimely errors in the fourth inning allowed the Pirates to post three runs.

Then the officials got involved.

Clearly making some errant calls that the entire crowd noticed, game umpire failed to call similar pitches for strikes that Auger threw in the game and third base umpire Wyman Stephens failed to call a Pirate runner out after the tag was appropriate made by third baseman Camille Herrera. A clearly agitated James Rodriguez came out of the dugout to argue the call only to have Stephens walk away without a clear explanation.

One batter later, catcher Kayliegh Walts asked for an appeal on a check swing after the bat and hands clearly broke the plane of the home plate. Stephens, who was looking in another direction at the time, failed to call the strike. Assistant coach Dana Lambert was then ejected from the game after arguing the call from the dugout. Lambert was so infuriated that Kathleen Rodriguez had to come out and walk in between Lambert and the officiating crew.

No comment was made about the situation following the game regarding the incidents or ejection.

ECU continued the inning and posted another three runs in the fifth while UTEP could only get one more run before being shut out for the final two innings of game.

Despite the loss, the Miners showed an immense amount of fight and focus throughout the game Saturday, and unlike other games this season where the team appeared to have been defeated mentally, they continued to play hard.

“We out hit (ECU) today, and I think there is a lot of positive in that,” James Rodriguez said after the game. “ There was a lot of fight in our girls. The way we were losing, they could have easily folded up, but they didn’t. They came out and competed and that was good.”

UTEP has two more weekends of C-USA play left. They will travel to Marshall next weekend for their final road trip of the regular season, and then return home Mother’s Day weekend for their series against Tulsa.