The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas State
No. 6 Softball sweeps Texas State in doubleheader
02.29.2012 | Softball
Feb. 29, 2012
Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
AUSTIN, Texas - Courtney Craig went 2-for-4 with a home run and season-high four RBI Wednesday as the No. 6 Texas Longhorns swept a doubleheader (5-0 and 7-0) against Texas State at McCombs Field. Texas improves to 14-1 on the season after the offense produced nine hits in each game.
Rachel Fox (4-0) picked up the win in the second game with 3 1/3 no-hit innings and four strikeouts in relief of freshman Gabby Smith, who loaded the bases in the fourth. Smith has opened her Longhorn career with 15 scoreless innings.
Craig and Brejae Washington went 3-for-6 combined in both games while Taylor Hoagland collected three hits as well.
After Hoagland led off the second game with a single and Lexy Bennett walked, Craig hit a three-run homer to left, her second on the season. Craig reached on a fielder's choice as part of a four-run fifth that produced her fourth RBI of the game. Taylor Thom hit a two-run single to left with the bases loaded and pinch-hitter Marlee Gabaldon would complete the scoring with an RBI single to right. Fox hit Selena Hernandez with the pitch in the fifth, but would retire the next nine batters in order to finish out the game.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Blaire Luna threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings to improve to 6-0 on the season with a 5-0 Texas victory. She allowed only one hit with two walks and seven strikeouts. She did not allow a hit until the sixth inning when Brooke Baker broke up the no-hitter with a double to center field.
After a walk in the second, Luna would retire 13 straight batters. Texas scored first in the bottom of the second. Thom was hit by the pitch on a 2-2 count, advanced to second on a Nadia Taylor sacrifice, moved to third on a fly out by Torie Schmidt and scored on a wild pitch by Texas State starter Anne Marie Taylor.
Craig singled to center to lead off the Texas fourth. She recorded her first stolen base of the season and scored on Schmidt's RBI single to right for the 2-0 advantage.
Hoagland and Washington singled in the bottom of the fifth before Bennett launched her fourth homer of the season to left for the 5-0 Longhorns lead. Kim Bruins closed out the game with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief to take the first game of the doubleheader.
Texas continues its seven-game home-stand on Friday (March 2) with the start of a three-game series against Sam Houston State with a 5 p.m. start at McCombs Field.
Notes: Lexy Bennett is now tied for fifth place on the Texas career list for hits (193)...with both hitting a home run tonight, Bennett and Courtney Craig are tied for sixth place on the Texas career list for home runs (27)...Taylor Hoagland is now sixth all-time at Texas with 49 career stolen bases...in the first game, Krissie Fountain recorded her first career hit at Texas...Texas has out-scored their opponents by a 103-19 margin this season with a 17-1 margin in the first inning...the Longhorn pitching staff registered its ninth shutout of the season.
Game 1 TXST 000-000-0---0-2-0 TEXAS 010-130-x---5-9-1WP - Luna (6-0) LP - Taylor (6-4) Records: Texas (13-1), Texas State (8-8)
Taylor and Hair. Luna, Bruins (6) and Ogle.
Game 2 TXST 000-000-0---0-4-0 TEXAS 300-040-x---7-9-0
WP - Fox (4-0) LP - Hall (2-5) Records: Texas (14-1), Texas State (8-9) ATT (DH): 764
Hall, Alaniz (6) and Hair, Hernandez (6). Smith, Fox (4) and Ogle, Fountain (5).
Post-Game Quotes
Head Coach Connie Clark
On tonight's games: I was interested to see what our energy was going to be like tonight and I thought they did a great job. We are used to having 20 minutes between games in a doubleheader, but with television tonight, the timing was slightly different. I thought their energy stayed very solid. That is something I was looking for after coming off of a good, emotional weekend against a lot of good opponents. I was really proud of them for their effort tonight.
We had some specific goals tonight. We wanted all four pitchers to get in, but when Blaire [Luna] is throwing so well and has a no-hitter going, we were not going to make the move. However, once a hit got out there, we made the move because of the goal to get all four pitchers work tonight. We also had a goal of getting [Taylor] Hoagland another look at third. We are still having her and Nadia [Taylor] compete for that position. It was great to get Krissie [Fountain] behind the plate some. It was a good team effort and that is the main goal when you play a doubleheader against the same opponent and we were able to do that tonight.
On the offensive performance against Texas State: I do not know that our numbers show some of the good at bats we had tonight. Hoagland specifically stands out in my mind tonight. She hit the ball hard tonight, but did not have a lot to show for it, but that is part of the game. I think she did a nice job of letting things go and getting prepared for the next at bat. Overall, I thought we stayed consistent. We never settled for the runs on the scoreboard. We just kept competing offensively.
On freshman Gabby Smith's season so far: I think it has been solid. She got a start in California as well, and did a nice job against Cal State Northridge. With her, it is about building confidence and getting her some work and developing her as we can. She had a good outing tonight.
Senior second baseman Lexy Bennett
On moving up the career charts: It is good; actually it is news to me. I think it is exciting, but more importantly, it is about getting the job done.
On what Texas wanted to accomplish in this game: I think we wanted to stay strong. We came off of a hard week in California. It is a grind going into yesterday's practice just coming off of traveling and then having a doubleheader tonight. It is pretty tough on our bodies. I think pushing and finishing were important and trying to stay consistent through the two games.
We have been focusing on keeping the energy up and staying passionate and enjoying the game we are playing. We try to have fun and be intense with it.
On the team's performance: I think we are good. Our defense is strong right now and our pitching staff is doing incredible. We could not ask for a better pitching staff. Having our offense produce as well is really good. I think we are doing a great job right now.
