Mean Green Softball Bounced from C-USA Tourney

Picture by SID Taylor Brasher (via @MeanGreenSB)

The North Texas softball team's season is over after falling to second seed Florida Atlantic 5-0 in the first round of the Conference USA tournament Thursday night.

The biggest thing in this match-up were the multiple lightning delays in the Miami area. The first delay hit during the top of the third inning and lasted 30 minutes. Just a few minutes after getting back to play, more lightning stopped the action for about two hours. Here's the radar around the start and early portions of the game:

FAU pitcher Kylee Hanson

The Mean Green knew it had a challenge to go up against Owls ace hurler Kylee Hanson. She threw a 1-hitter and now has a 17-3 record this season.

Coach Tracey Kee told me on Monday she hadn't decided who would start against Florida Atlantic, but like I suspected freshman Monique Garcia got the nod. It's a logical strategy because transfer Stacey Underwood has really struggled in her past couple of outings -- lasting only one inning in Game 1 and an inning and two-thirds in Game 2 against UTEP --- and sophomore Kenzie Grimes doesn't usually start and is best at coming into tough relief situations.

Garcia has toed in the rubber in a lot of big-time situations this season, including the season opener, and in road games at #5 Oklahoma, #23 Texas A&M, and #25 Tulsa.

She quickly retired the first two Owl batters before giving up a solo home run.

Hanson only need to toss nine pitches in the first inning to get three outs. In the second frame, FAU put together some timely hitting by smacking back-to-back singles with two outs to plate another run and led 2-0.

Kenzie Grimes joined us on The Green Guys on Apr. 27

A sacrifice fly after the initial weather delay made the score FAU 3-0, Coach Kee decided to go to the bullpen and bring in Grimes with two runners on. A walk later, Grimes gave up a bases loaded single to aide the Owl cause with another run.

The second, longer lightning delay arrived and the teams didn't get back onto the field for another hour and 50 minutes. However, Grimes somehow stuck with it and got out of the jam with three pitches.

The North Texas batters were Antarctic cold for the majority of the game. Mean Green left fielder Taylor Schoblocher punched the only hit of the game, ending the perfect game bid by Hanson two outs shy of completion. But, #SCHOtime's double was not backed up by anyone else.

I'd like to figure the weather stoppages had some affect, but it appears the game went the same before and after the lightning. Hanson continued her attacking in the circle, and FAU consistently chipped away at the North Texas pitching.

The Mean Green ends the 2015 season with 19-31 record -- much different than the program-record 31-22 mark last season.

I think this just shows how important pitching is in softball. The best North Texas pitcher in history -- Ashley Kirk -- accounted for 22 of those 31 wins a year ago. This season, the best record by a Mean Green thrower was Underwood's 8-7 mark with a 3.99 ERA.

What do you think sums up the NT softball season? Let me know in the comments below.

And BTW, here is the link to Kenzie Grimes' appearance on The Green Guys.