No. 10/10 Softball opens 2014 with 6-1 win at No. 17/19 LSU

Thursday, February 6

Baton Rouge, La.

6:00 PM

University of Texas

1-0

LSU

0-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Texas	0	0	1	0	4	1	0	6	7	0
LSU	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	0

No. 10/10 Softball opens 2014 with 6-1 win at No. 17/19 LSU

02.06.2014 | Softball

Box Score

The Longhorns put together a four-run fifth inning to pull away from the Tigers; Gabby Smith earns complete game win.

Box Score (PDF) | Twitter | Postgame Interview: Coach Clark

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 10/10 Texas Softball opened its 2014 campaign on a brisk cold Thursday evening with a 6-1 win over No. 17/19 LSU at Tiger Park. The Longhorns, who played on the road to begin a season for the first time in seven seasons, improved to 18-0 all-time in season openers.

Senior shortstop Taylor Thom and sophomore Lindsey Stephens blasted their first home runs of the season, while junior pitcher Gabby Smith helped her own cause by scoring the game-winning run before finishing all seven innings to earn a complete game win.

Texas grabbed the lead in the top of the third inning. Senior catcher Mandy Ogle led off the frame with a double before sophomore second baseman Stephanie Ceo pushed her to third when she singled and advanced to second base. Senior center fielder Brejae Washington lifted a sacrifice fly into left field, allowing Ogle to rush home for the game's first run on the play.

The Tigers would catch up in the fourth inning. With two outs already recorded, LSU's Sandra Simmons slammed the ball hard into deep center field. Washington hustled to track it down, but was just a step from being able to snatch it. Unable to come up with it, Simmons stretched the hit out to a triple and would later score and knot the game at one on Allison Falcon's RBI single.

UT responded with a four-run inning when it got its next turn to bat. Smith got the frame underway with a base hit and later scored on sophomore second baseman Stephanie Ceo's one-out RBI single to the pitcher. With freshman Stephanie Wong in as a pinch runner for junior Marlee Gabaldon at third base, Ceo stole second to give the Horns two runners in scoring position before Thom crushed her two-out home run over the left field fence to give Texas a 5-1 lead.

When the Longhorns went back to the dish in the sixth inning, Stephens picked up right where she left off last season with a leadoff home run. For Stephens it was the second straight game she hit a home run, dating back to the final game of last season in the Women's College World Series semifinal game against Tennessee. From that point, Texas held a commanding 6-1 lead, which it would maintain.

In the circle, Smith threw 99 pitches and struck out two LSU hitters to earn her first win of the 2014 season.

Texas will little time between its next contest as it heads from Baton Rouge to Lafayette, La. for this weekend's Louisiana Classic at the University of Louisiana Lafayette. The Longhorns open tournament play Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. with a contest against North Carolina. Later in the day, UT will take on tournament host No. 13/15 Louisiana Lafayette at 4:30 p.m.

POSTGAME NOTES

Texas opens a season 1-0 for the 18th straight season. The Longhorns have never lost a season opener since becoming a varsity program in 1997.
The Longhorns won their third straight road opener, improving their record to 14-4 in such games.
UT improves its all-time record against LSU to 4-2.
Head coach Connie Clark is now only three wins away from having 700 career coaching victories at Texas. Her all-time record stands at 697-293-3 (.703)
Senior Taylor Thom hit the 29th home run of her career.
Sophomore Lindsey Stephens' home run marked the second of her career.
Five freshmen made their UT debuts on Thursday night. Devon Tunning started in the batting order as the designated player, Stephanie Wong went in to pinch run in the fifth inning, Kelli Hanzel pinch ran in the top of the sixth inning for Karina Scott and Mickenzi Krpec pinch hit for Brejae Washington in the top of the 7th inning.