EL PASO, Texas – With Chelsea Troope and Camilla Carrera coming up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, you could have put money down that the best hitters on the team would have stepped up, reached base and at least knocked in a couple runs for UTEP.

It usually is a sure bet.

It wasn’t the case Tuesday night as New Mexico State’s Karysa Donisthorpe struck out both Troupe and Carrera and shut down the Miners late-game rally as the Aggies defeated UTEP 9-5 in game two of the Battle of I-10.

Aggie pitcher Alex Newman pitched 6.1 innings and walked away from the Helen of Troy Softball Complex with the win and improved her record to 7-1 on the season. She allowed nine hits on the night only after holding the Miners to four hits and five strikeouts through five innings of work.

“I thought (Newman) was fantastic tonight,” co-head coach Kathleen Rodriguez said. “She held us from doing anything and I think you have to a real competitor and a player who understands the sport tips their hat to a performance like that.”

UTEP finally got to Newman in the sixth inning though.

After being down 7-1, the Miners were able to load the bases thanks to a pair of hits and a walk. Sophomore Samantha Alvillar took full advantage of the situation as the shortstop ripped a line drive into left field that got past a diving Amber Olive. By the time center fielder Staci Rodriguez came over to help, the ball had rolled into the far corner of the field and Alvillar was already on her way towards home plate.

“Oh my gosh, I was so excited,” Alvillar said. “It just felt so good right off the bat. There were several adjustments at the plate because (Newman) shut me down in those first two at-bats. The third time around, everything was good, I saw the pitch and was able to hit it.”

The Aggies answered in the top of the seventh plating two runs to extent their lead again and putting the Miners in another must-hit situation.

Ashley Collazo led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double and Kayla Oranger singled off Newman. Donisthorpe came in relief and struck out Troupe and Carrera to end the game.

“It’s always a heartbreaker when you go through a game like that, especially when it’s with your rivals,” Carrera said. “(The final at-bat) is just one of those that just tears at your heart. They beat me in that at-bat and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

UTEP will return to action this weekend when they travel to Waco, Texas to take part in the Fairfield Inn North Texas Shootout. The tournament will start on Friday, Feb. 24 and conclude on Sunday, Feb. 26.

Chris Avila can be reached at show@minerillustrated.com or you can follow him on Twitter at @chrisavila_01.