The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Louisiana-Lafayette
Long ball powers No. 5/8 Softball past No. 13/13 Louisiana 7-2
03.02.2013 | Softball
March 2, 2013
Box Score 
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Louisiana took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, but three-straight Texas home runs in the bottom of the frame powered the No. 5/8 Longhorns to a 7-2 victory over the No. 13/13 Ragin' Cajuns on Saturday afternoon on day two of the Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Junior Taylor Thom's long ball provided the game-winning run as she hit her sixth homer in the last 11 games. Senior Kim Bruins and junior Mandy Ogle followed the Thom shot in the third and senior Taylor Hoagland added a two-run double in the sixth.
In the circle, senior pitcher Blaire Luna (9-0) allowed her first run in her last six starts, but picked up the win. She struck out 11 and scattered seven hits in the complete game. She walked five and hit three in the contest. Christina Hamilton (2-1) took the loss for Louisiana after throwing two-and-two thirds innings. She surrendered four runs on six hits and struck out three. Kristin Martinez threw the next two-and-a-third frames, allowing just one hit and fanning a pair. Victoria Brown came in for the final frame and allowed three unearned runs on three hits and two whiffs.
In the bottom of the first, Texas put a runner in scoring position but could not convert. With one out, junior Brejae Washington reached on a bunt single and stole second. Hamilton rebounded with a groundout and lineout to left to end the frame.
Louisiana (14-4) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third with a two-out double steal. With one down, Natalie Fernandez bunted for a single. After a Brianna Cherry fielder's choice forced Fernandez out at second, Shellie Landry dropped a single into left center to put runners on the corners with two outs. With Matte Haack at the plate, Landry took off for second. Texas catcher Ogle threw to second and Cherry broke for the plate. Cherry just beat the tag from Ogle on the return throw from shortstop Thom. Luna ended the threat by striking out Haack.
Texas (18-2) answered immediately with four runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-1 lead. After a groundout and fly out opened the inning, Washington singled to left center and moved to second on a passed ball. Thom deposited the third pitch of her at-bat over the wall in right to put Texas in the lead at 2-1. Bruins and Ogle followed with home runs to center to make it a 4-1 UT advantage. Senior Torie Schmidt kept the inning alive with a single, but she was caught stealing to end the threat.
In the top of the fourth, the Ragin' Cajuns had a chance to answer as they loaded the bases with no outs. Sarah Draheim was hit by a pitch, Sara Corbello walked and Samantha Walsh singled through the left side. Luna struck out pinch hitter Shelbi Redfearn and retired Leandra Maly on another strikeout. Fernandez ended the inning with a ground out to Luna in the circle.
Louisiana threatened again in the top of the fifth as Cherry led off with a single and moved to second on a one-out walk to Haack. Luna struck out Draheim, but walked Corbello to fill the bases again. Walsh flew out to the warning track in center to leave the bases loaded for the second-straight inning.
The Longhorns added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 7-1 lead. Ogle started the frame with a single up the middle and moved to third on a Schmidt fielder's choice as Brown's throw to second was dropped by the second baseman. A second fielder's choice resulted in Ogle being thrown out at the plate. A single from Smith filled the bases and Schmidt scored on a passed ball for a 5-1 advantage. Following a strikeout, Hoagland brought in the final two Texas runs with a double to the gap in right center. Brown ended the damage with a strikeout.
Luna allowed a solo home run to Dreheim in the seventh for the game's final run.
UT wraps up Saturday's action with an approximately 5:45 p.m. CT contest against Syracuse.
Post-Game Notes
- Texas has won every Saturday game it has played this season.
- Senior Taylor Hoagland went one-for-four during the contest and is hitting .364 (four-for-11) so far this weekend.
- Senior Torie Schmidt extended her hitting streak to a season-best five games with her third-inning single. During the streak, she is batting .467 (seven-for-15).
- Schmidt has four hits in her last two games after tallying three versus Hofstra in Friday's second contest.
- Sophomore Gabby Smith pushed her hitting streak to a career-best five games with a single in the sixth frame. Smith is batting .533 (eight-for-15) during the run.
- Junior Brejae Washington's bunt single in the first frame snapped an 0-for-11 skid during her last three contests.
- Junior Taylor Thom has scored the game-winning runs in both victories this weekend.
- Senior Blaire Luna has struck out 73 batters in her last 38 innings pitched, good for an average of 1.92 whiffs per frame.
- Luna now owns 55 career games striking out 10 or more batters.
- Junior Mandy Ogle threw out her fourth runner stealing in the first inning. Ogle had thrown out nine runners in her career entering this season.
- Ogle's home run was her second of the season. She tallied three during the 2012 campaign.
- The last time Texas hit three home runs in an inning was May 26, 2012, against Oregon with a trio of long balls in the seventh.
- The win improves the Longhorns to 4-1 versus ranked opponents in 2013. Last year, the team recorded 14 wins against ranked foes, the most for the program since 2006.
