The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
35-23
Louisiana - Lafayette
47-8-1
Softball ends season with loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in NCAA Regional Final
05.18.2014 | Softball
Longhorns finish season 35-23; Gabby Smith hits solo home run.
Box Score (PDF) | Final Statistics | Twitter
LAFAYETTE, La. – Texas Softball saw its season end at the hands of the top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, 10-1, in the NCAA Lafayette Regional final on Sunday afternoon at Lamson Park. The No. 2 seed-Longhorns finish the season with a record of 35-23, while ULL advances to the Super Regional with a 47-8-1 mark. Texas has now won at least 35 games in the past six seasons.
The Texas offense was stymied all day by ULL's Christina Hamilton (27-2), who picked up her second win against UT in as many days. The Longhorns collected four hits on the afternoon, only scoring on a junior Gabby Smith home run in the fourth inning.
Texas used all three pitchers in the contest, giving up a season-high 10 earned runs. Freshman Tiarra Davis started in the circle for the Longhorns, but only lasted 2.1 innings. Davis was touched for three earned runs and four hits in picking up the loss. The lefty finishes her rookie season with a 19-14 record. Smith came in to relieve Davis in the third inning. She pitched 4.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Freshman Lauren Slatten came in to pitch in the seventh inning but surrendered three hits and four earned runs. Smith came back in to record the final two outs.
The Cajuns' offense broke out in a big way by collecting 12 hits and smacking four home runs in the game, two of which were hit by the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Lexie Elkins. Elkins two solo home runs gives her 20 home runs on the season. Kelsey Vincent hit a home run in the seventh inning for added ULL insurance and recorded a game-high three RBIs. Shelbi Redfearn added two hits, including two-run blast in the third inning, and tied Vincent with three RBIs.
The end of the 2014 season culminates the careers for the four seniors: Mandy Ogle, Karina Scott, Taylor Thom and Brejae Washington. Head coach Connie Clark, will return 15 players from this year's team, led by Smith and Marlee Gabaldon in 2015 when she begins her 20th overall season at the helm of the Longhorns' softball program. Four freshmen—Alyssa Angel, Kristen Clark, Randel Leahy and Erica Wright will join the squad when the team picks up action in the fall.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Finished 2-2 against Louisiana-Lafayette on the year, with all four contests taking place at Lamson Park in Lafayette, La.
- Texas is 10-4 all-time against the Ragin' Cajuns.
- The Longhorns finished the season with a school-record .334 team batting average.
- UT hit 48 home runs on the season by 11 different players. Stephens led the team with 16 long balls.
- Blasted the second home run of her career and first of 2014 in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 4-1.
- Smacked a fifth-inning double down the right field line.
- Set a Texas single-season record with 134 total bases, breaking Taylor Thom ('13) and Lexy Bennett's ('12) mark of 132.
- Finished 1-for-2 at the plate, notching a 4th-inning hit.
- Led the team with a .375 postseason batting average.
- Topped the Longhorns with three postseason hits.
- Reached base with a fourth-inning single.
- Drew two walks to give her six multi-walk games on the year.
- Finished the year with a team-high 73 hits, tied for second-most base knocks in a single season.
- Made first career postseason appearance.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hamilton (27-2)
L: Davis, Tiarra (19-14)
Batting:
2B: Hayden 1 ; Redfearn 1
HR: Elkins 2 ; Redfearn 1 ; Vincent 1
RBI: Felps 2 ; Elkins 2 ; Redfearn 3 ; Vincent 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Elkins 2 ; Thomas 1 ; Landry 1 ; Maly 1 ; Redfearn 3 ; Zeringue 1 ; Vincent 1
SB: Fernandez 1
HBP: Elkins 1
Batting:
2B: Stephens, Lindsey 1
HR: Smith, Gabby 1
RBI: Smith, Gabby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Gabby 1
