No. 25 Softball drops a 9-1 decision to No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette

Saturday, May 21

Lafayette, La.

11 a.m.

University of Texas

38-15

Louisiana-Lafayette

45-7

Louisiana

Texas

Lindsey Stephens vs. ULL NCAA Regional 16

Photo by: Buddy's Photography

No. 25 Softball drops a 9-1 decision to No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette

05.21.2016 | Softball

Box Score

Senior center fielder Lindsey Stephens homers in her fifth-straight game to tie her own program record

LAFAYETTE, La. – On a blisteringly hot Saturday afternoon in NCAA Lafayette Regional play at Lamson Park, No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette (45-7) scored in five of seven innings and banged out 13 hits overall to down No. 25 Texas softball (38-15) in a winner's bracket match-up, 9-1.

With the loss, the Longhorns now face elimination in a (approximate) 4 p.m. CT Saturday match-up against the winner of No. 16 Texas A&M-Boston University.

Senior center fielder Lindsey Stephens led the way for UT at the plate by going 3-for-4 with her team-leading 15th HR of the season. By virtue of her seventh-inning solo blast, the Beaumont, Texas, native also managed a HR in her fifth-consecutive game, tying her own program record established during the 2015 campaign, and made it seven total HR's over her last five games.

Junior third baseman Celina Felix (1-for-4), senior right fielder Holly Kern (1-for-4), junior pitcher Tiarra Davis (1-for-3), junior first baseman Kelli Hanzel (1-for-2) and freshman left fielder Reagan Hathaway (1-for-2) each added single base knocks as part of Texas' eight-hit output.

In the circle for the Horns, Davis dropped to 23-10 overall, allowing six earned runs on 13 hits with four walks and six strikeouts over 7.0 innings.

A Haley Hayden single through the right side of the infield and a Texas fielding miscue on a potential double play ball got the Ragin' Cajuns in business immediately in the top of the first. With two aboard and still no one out, catcher Lexie Elkins drove a long fly ball to left center that was tracked down at the wall by Stephens for a loud first out. After Davis K'ed first baseman Kelsey Vincent to get close to escaping the early jam, center fielder Aleah Craighton lifted a single into right center, plating Hayden with an unearned run for a 1-0 ULL lead.

The Longhorns tried to answer right back in the bottom of the opening frame, utilizing a lead-off Stephens single up the first base line and a Kern base knock through the left side of the infield to station a pair in scoring position with two retired. Unfortunately, a pop-up into foul ground was tracked down near the netting outside of third as Texas missed a big early chance.

Stephens made an incredible defensive play in the top of the second to prevent extra bases. On a ball driven into the left center gap off the bat of third baseman Kara Gremillion, the UT center fielder covered a remarkable amount of ground before catching the ball in a fully-extended dive.

Texas threatened again in the second as a lead-off Hathaway single and a wild pitch moved the runner into scoring position with one out. Following a long Stephanie Ceo fly out to right, Hanzel ripped a base hit through the left side of the infield. On the throw to the plate, Hathaway was held up at third. Unfortunately, Hanzel was called out while trying to hustle into second to bring an end to the frame.

A lead-off Hayden walk came back to hurt the Horns in the top of the third as left fielder Shellie Landry immediately followed with a two-run HR just inside the left field foul pole to extend the ULL advantage to 3-0.

Singles by Stephens and Davis again got the Burnt Orange & White in business with two down in the third. The left stranded count for the Horns soon expanded to five over the opening trio of innings, however, as a fly ball to left was snagged routinely for out number three.

The Ragin' Cajuns added to their advantage in the top of the fifth as an Elkins single, consecutive walks and a Sanders RBI base knock combined to make it 4-0.

An Elkins two-RBI double off the right center field wall and a Vincent RBI base knock down the left field line combined to plate three more in the sixth for a 7-0 lead.

ULL finalized their offensive output in the top of the seventh at nine tallies as a single to short and a throwing error to first on the play, with a pair on base, allowed two more to cross.

The Longhorns wouldn't go down without a fight in the bottom of the seventh, though, as Stephens blasted her 15th HR of the season on a two-out shot that ricocheted off the top of the wall in left before bouncing over. Felix followed with a single to left, but a pop-up to second ended the contest.