The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Arkansas
Softball’s bats stay hot in rolling past Arkansas, 11-2
03.15.2015 | Softball
Texas’ offense banged out 13 hits and is now hitting .350 overall in the series against the Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Longhorns' bats stayed red hot on Sunday night at Bogle Park as Texas (17-8) banged out 13 hits and got the benefit of six Arkansas errors in sweeping past the Razorbacks, 11-2.
In taking the opening two games of the series at UA, Texas is hitting .350 overall as a team with 19 total runs and eight extra-base hits.
Junior designated player Holly Kern led the UT charge by going 3-for-5 with her third HR of the season, a Texas-single-game record-tying four runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Kelli Hanzel posted a 2-for-3 effort with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs, while freshman third baseman Randel Leahy was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run and a RBI. Sophomore shortstop Devon Tunning registered a 2-for-3 performance out of the lead-off slot, junior catcher Erin Shireman (1-for-4, run) added a RBI double and both junior second baseman Stephanie Ceo (1-for-2) and senior right fielder Marlee Gabaldon (1-for-5) were each credited with a RBI.
In the circle for the Horns, senior Gabby Smith moved to 5-0 overall, allowing one earned run on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts over 6.0 innings. The Houston, Texas, native saw both her streaks of consecutive scoreless innings and of not allowing a single earned run end at a career-best 21.1 and 22.2 innings, respectively. Freshman Erica Wright struck out two in a perfect frame of relief during the seventh to seal the win.
After Texas left a runner stranded in scoring position in the top of the first following a Tunning lead-off single, consecutive base knocks opening the bottom half from first baseman Devon Wallace and center fielder Stephanie Canfield immediately got the Razorbacks in business against Smith. Following a fielder's choice for the initial out, catcher Shelby Hiers' bouncer was misplayed on the infield for an error. That allowed Wallace to scamper home from 60 feet away unearned with the game's first score.
The Longhorns threatened again in the second as an error on Shireman's bouncer to short put the lead-off on for the second straight inning. The theme of taking advantage of opponent miscues continued a few batters later as Leahy's RBI double to left center and Ceo's RBI single up the middle brought home a pair to grant Texas a 2-1 lead.
It was pretty apparent by the bottom of the second that Saturday night's offensive fireworks had officially carried over to Sunday as Arkansas utilized a hit batter and consecutive two-out Wallace and Canfield singles to knot the scoreboard up at 2-2.
The game didn't stay tied for long, however, as a Kern lead-off base hit in the third was soon cashed in via Hanzel's RBI single to center as the Longhorns made it 3-2. Another Arkansas error on a chopper to short with the bases loaded, UA's third infield miscue of the contest, allowed Hanzel to race home with UT's fourth tally.
More Razorback defensive mistakes led to three more Texas runs in the fourth as the Longhorns took a 7-2 lead. Stephens started it all off by reaching on an error and soon raced around all the way from first to score as a toss to second attempting a force was thrown away. Consecutive RBI groundouts off the bats of Hanzel and Gabaldon supplied all the impetus behind UT's additional two scores in the frame.
With Smith putting zeroes up on Arkansas' side of the scoreboard during the third and fourth frames, the Burnt Orange & White got a two-run HR to left by Kern in the fifth to secure a commanding 9-2 advantage.
The Razorbacks mounted a threat in the bottom of the fifth as two hit batters broke up a string of seven straight retired by Smith. With two down in the frame, designated player Kate James stepped to the plate facing a big opportunity but went down swinging to leave a pair stranded.
After UT left the bases juiced in the top of the sixth, Arkansas managed to turn the same trick with two retired in the bottom half on a pair of walks and a Canfield double to center. Shortstop Jessica Harrison stepped to the dish and drove a promising shot to right, but it was tracked down to end the threat with no scoring as Texas maintained its seven-run lead.
A seventh-inning scoring outburst finalized Texas' offensive output as a Kern single and back-to-back RBI doubles from Shireman and Hanzel set the count at 11-2.
Needing a massive rally, the Razorbacks got a two-out hit batter in the bottom of the seventh, but that was all as reliever Wright closed out the dominant victory.
