Softball fights off Texas Tech in Big 12 series opener, 4-3

Friday, April 24

Lubbock, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Texas

32-12, 7-3

Texas Tech

21-25, 5-8

Texas

Texas Tech

Softball fights off Texas Tech in Big 12 series opener, 4-3

04.24.2015 | Softball

Box Score

Key home runs from Stephanie Ceo and Kelli Hanzel help power the Longhorns to victory

LUBBOCK, Texas – Make it nine consecutive road wins for Texas softball (32-12, 7-3 Big 12 Conference) as the Longhorns got key home runs from junior second baseman Stephanie Ceo and sophomore first baseman Kelli Hanzel in battling past Texas Tech (21-25, 5-8 Big 12) in a league series opener on a blustery Friday night at Rocky Johnson Field, 4-3.

The nine straight road triumphs tie the 2014 Texas squad for the third-longest road winning streak in program history (just one off the all-time record of 10), while UT's 10-1 road mark this season equals the 2014 and 2011 teams for the best 11-game road start in Longhorns history.

Ceo led the charge for Texas' offense by going 2-for-2 with a run scored, a walk, her second inside-the-park HR of the season and three RBIs. Hanzel was 2-or-3 with a pair of tallies and her first career HR on a solo shot to break a 3-3 tie in the sixth. Sophomore left fielder Stephanie Wong doubled as part of a 1-for-3 effort.

In the circle for the Horns, freshman pitcher Erica Wright picked up her 14th win, striking out 10 and walking one while allowing three runs on six hits over 5.0 innings of work. Sophomore hurler Tiarra Davis earned her first save of 2015 by permitting three hits and striking out three over a pair of scoreless frames.

"Significant win for us," Texas head coach Connie Clark said. "Well, they are all significant. Kelli Hanzel with a big game, timely on the home run. We've had a few of our hitters working really hard this week on some things, her specifically and Stephanie Ceo, and Ceo had a big night as well. You love to see that after putting some time and effort in. The other thing we worked on, we looked at them on paper and noticed they run extremely well. We knew they were going to get people in motion, and loved that Erin (catcher Shireman) was on the money (caught stealing in the first inning) in that first opportunity and really put out a fire and momentum they were trying to start.

"Overall, I'm really pleased. Erica had a big strikeout night. They made some good adjustments at the plate, so we were able to go with Tiarra, and she got us the big strikeout to finish the game. Just pleased overall with our fight and our grit, especially when they tied it up. To answer right back, that was huge."

With the wind blowing strongly out to center and left center at 30-plus mph consistently and gusts as high as 48 mph, Texas took advantage in the top of the second. With Hanzel and senior right fielder Marlee Gabaldon already on base via infield singles, Ceo stepped into the batter's box with two retired and launched a towering fly ball to deep center. Texas Tech's Jordan Bettiol kept drifting back and leapt at the wall but couldn't make the catch. UT's speedster raced around third and collided with TTU catcher Kristi Belshe in the base line about six feet from the plate. On the play, the ball escaped away as Ceo scrambled the rest of the way to the dish to complete a wild three-run inside-the-park HR.

Meanwhile in the circle, Wright was in control of the Red Raider offense early on to the tune of seven strikeouts through the opening three frames. The Huntington, Texas, hurler allowed a leadoff bloop single and a walk during the first, but struck out a pair before punching out all three she faced in the second. At one point, the right hander even managed to register six consecutive K's over a stretch combining all three innings.

Texas Tech used a long ball of its own to cut into its deficit in the bottom of the fourth as designated player Devon Thomey led off the frame with a solo HR to center.

Ceo tried to get something going for the Longhorns in the top of the fifth by lining a leadoff single just inside the first base line. Unfortunately for UT, three consecutive ground outs advanced the runner only as far as third before she was left stranded.

The deficit was sliced to just a single run in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out Red Raider rally. With shortstop Brooke Scott at first following a bloop single, Bettiol drove a RBI triple into the right center gap to cut Texas' advantage to 3-2. Things would get even more bizarre just minutes later as Thomey hit a pop-up into foul ground to the right of home plate. Texas junior catcher Erin Shireman tried making the catch of the wind-blown ball and apparently touched it as it landed in foul ground before rolling back into the field of play as live. Bettiol raced home and scored just before the tag was applied while Thomey rolled into third via a double and an advance.

That play seemed to re-ignite the Texas offense as Hanzel handed the Horns back the lead on her first career HR as her solo shot traveled right over the left field foul pole.

Clark dipped into the bullpen starting the sixth, bringing on Davis in relief. The Henderson, Texas, native recorded two quick outs on a pop-up to second and a strikeout before allowing consecutive singles to third baseman Ashley Fultz and left fielder Susan Welborn. With the tying run in scoring position, Davis got first baseman Brittany Warnecke to hit into a fielder's choice as her bouncer to second was tossed from Tunning to Ceo for a vital inning-ending force.

With two down in the last of the seventh, things again got interesting in the one-run contest. Thomey hit a ball up the middle that glanced off the glove of a leaping Davis in the circle. The ball was corralled and thrown on to first but wide for an error as TTU boasted an important base runner. Belshe immediately followed with a clean single through the left side as the tying run advanced into scoring position. Davis stood up to the challenge, however, striking out right fielder and clean-up hitter Kierra Miles to end the victory.