The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Iowa State
Softball finishes off series sweep of Iowa State with 17-1 win
04.12.2014 | Softball
Longhorns pound out season-high 18 hits and score nine runs in the fourth inning.
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AMES, Iowa – Texas Softball put on another offensive barrage, as it busted out a season-high 18 hits in a 17-1 victory over Iowa State on Saturday afternoon at the Cyclone Sports Complex. With the win, the Longhorns completed a three-game Big 12 series sweep of the Cyclones to improve to 26-16 overall and to 6-1 in Big 12 play.
Senior Taylor Thom continued her torrid hitting of late, as she blasted her eighth home run of the season in a 3-for-3 day, which included three runs scored and four RBIs. Her classmate Karina Scott was called off the bench to pinch hit in the fourth inning and produced in a big way, hitting her first home run of the season with two runners aboard and driving in two more on a base hit to give her five RBIs in the frame. Sophomore Stephanie Ceo was a bright spot in the bottom third of UT's order, as she went 2-for-2 and smashed her second home run of the year.
Starting for the 11th consecutive game, freshman LHP Tiarra Davis came away with the win in the circle, advancing her record to 13-7 on the season and 5-0 in Big 12 play. She struck out two hitters and allowed an unearned run on four hits and two walks in her 15th complete game of the season. Davis also helped her own cause at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a season-high three RBIs.
With a comfortable 15-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, several players were given an opportunity to pinch hit for the Longhorns. After freshman Kelli Hanzel walked, junior Marlee Gabaldon made the most of her chance and crushed her first career home run over the left field fence.
The top of UT's order got things going in a hurry for the Longhorns in the first inning. Senior Brejae Washington worked out a full count walk to lead things off and extend her reached base streak to 33-straight games. Sophomore Lindsey Stephens also continued her on base streak, extending it to 43 consecutive games when she was hit by a pitch after Washington stole her first of two bases on the day, running her season total to 29.
Washington would go on to pound out two hits over the course of the game, bringing her within seven base knocks of the school record for career hits.
Thom plated the first runs of the game when she ripped a hard-hit ball from Paris Imholz off the bottom of the right field wall, allowing her to race all the way around the basepaths and end up at third base with a sliding two-run triple. Standing sixty feet away, freshman Tiarra Davis grounded out, but was able to knock in Thom on the play.
Davis and company would strand an ISU runner at second base before returning to the plate and scoring three more runs in the top of the second, highlighted by Ceo's two-run homer and Davis' RBI single.
UT was held scoreless in its third inning at bat, but would make up for it in the fourth after ISU plated home a run on Aly Cappaert's RBI single.
Texas sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth and erupted for nine runs to make it a 15-1 advantage before Gabaldon homered in the fifth.
Texas will now place its attention on its next series, a three-game set against defending Big 12 and National Champion Oklahoma in Norman. The series gets underway Thursday night with an 8:00 p.m. start, which will be televised by ESPN2.
POSTGAME NOTES
Team Notes
-Texas is now 42-1 all-time against Iowa State and has won 22-straight games against the Cyclones.
-The Longhorns are now 18-0 in Ames, Iowa.
-Texas plated nine runs in the fourth inning, matching its most in a single inning since tallying nine on April 13, 2013 against Iowa State.
-UT's 18 hits on Saturday is tied for third-most in a game in school history.
-The 17 runs scored is tied for third-most in a game in school history. Texas has manufactured 17 or more runs three times in its last seven games.
-UT scored 38 runs against Iowa State this weekend, marking the most it has gathered in a three-game series in school history.
-Entering the week with the third-highest batting average in the nation (.348), Texas is now hitting .356 on the season.
-Eighteen of Texas' 19 players were etched into the lineup card. Freshman Mickenzi Krpec was the only one that did not entered in the game. Freshman Lauren Slatten served as the designated player in the flex position.
-With Taylor Thom's first-inning triple, Texas now has 18 three-baggers on the year, marking the most in a single season.
-Texas improved to 9-0 in true road games in 2014, which is the best mark in the nation.
-Extended her reached base streak to 33-straight games.
-Went 2-for-2, putting her just seven hits away from the program record for career hits (246).
-Hit her way on base in the first inning, extending her on base streak to 43-consecutive games.
-Now has 110 total bases, which is ranked eighth at Texas for most in a single season.
-Hit her eighth home run of the season and the 36th of her career.
-Has five home runs (two grand slams) and 17 RBIs over the last six games.
-Hit her first home run of the season.
-Tied her career high in RBIs with 5. All five of her RBIs came in the fourth inning.
-Hit her first career home run.
-Hit her second home run of the season and of her career.
-Started for the 11th-straight time.
-Improved to 5-0 in Big 12 play
-Hurled her 15th complete game of the season.
