Softball drills four HR’s in blowing past UTSA, 9-1 (5 inn.)

Wednesday, March 29

San Antonio, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Texas

18-14

UTSA

12-21

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Texas	0	2	5	2	0	9	9	0
UTSA	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	1

Softball drills four HR’s in blowing past UTSA, 9-1 (5 inn.)

03.29.2017 | Softball

Box Score

Tunning, Hathaway, Ellsworth and Gortarez each cleared the fence for the Longhorns during the triumph

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – On a gorgeous Wednesday evening at Roadrunner Field, Texas softball (18-14) utilized a season-high, four-HR power display, including three bombs during a five-run third inning outburst, to climb back into the win column by rolling past UTSA (12-21), 9-1 (5 inn.).

Freshman second baseman Jade Gortarez blasted her first collegiate HR as part of a 2-for-3, two-RBI effort. Sophomore center fielder Reagan Hathaway was 1-for-3 with her fourth HR of the season and two RBIs. Senior shortstop Devon Tunning was 2-for-3 with her team-leading fifth HR, two runs scored and a RBI, while freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth contributed her third HR as part of a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance.

With two hits against UTSA, Ellsworth improved her batting average to a remarkable .543 (25-for-46) overall and is batting .677 (21-for-31) over her last 11 games played dating back to Feb. 25 against No. 21/19 Arizona State.

A trio of Texas hurlers combined on a three-hitter with sophomore reliever Brooke Bolinger (5-2) earning the win by allowing one hit and striking out a pair over two innings. Redshirt sophomore Erica Wright started the contest and fired two perfect frames with four strikeouts. The Huntington, Texas, native has now allowed just six hits over her last 24 innings of work dating back to the match-up at Loyola Marymount on March 14. Junior Kristen Clark permitted one run on two hits with a walk and two K's while tossing the final inning.

"It's good to get back to the winning ways," Texas head coach Connie Clark said. "We've talked about staying the course and embracing the challenge. I thought we had a really good workout yesterday. We worked on some offensive pieces where we've got to be able to compete with two strikes specifically. I thought we were tremendous at that tonight. (The team) looked a lot more comfortable at the plate. (Hitting four HR's) gave us a boost, especially facing three different pitchers and three different looks in a short game. I think this bodes well for our confidence heading into two more non-conference games this weekend."

Texas' offense strung together a couple of base knocks to manage a scoring opportunity starting the top of the second. Ellsworth made it six hits over her last six at-bats dating back to the final Oklahoma State contest (March 26) with a lead-off single to short. Senior designated player Tiarra Davis stepped into the box and drove Nicole Merrill's first pitch down into the right field corner for a double as Ellsworth strolled into third with no outs. After a groundout, freshman right fielder Tuesday DerMargosian slapped at a ball with it settling in the dirt directly in front of home plate. The Fort Worth, Texas, product was just thrown out on the play, but she was credited with a RBI as Ellsworth scored from 60 feet away to make it 1-0. The Horns advantage soon doubled as a UTSA miscue at short allowed Davis to cross with the Burnt Orange & White's second run.

Meanwhile, Wright was in full control of the Roadrunner offense over the opening two frames, striking out four of the six hitters she faced, including all three during the second inning.

The Longhorns utilized a trio of long balls in blowing the contest wide open during the top of the third. First, Tunning led-off the frame by launching her team-leading fifth HR of the season off the scoreboard in left center. With senior left fielder Stephanie Wong aboard on a walk, Hathaway crushed a two-run shot directly over the top of the right field fair pole to boost the UT advantage to a commanding 5-0. UTSA summoned in a reliever as Lizzy Fox entered the circle looking to calm things down, and she managed to retire the red-hot Ellsworth on a fly ball to right. That proved just a brief reprieve from the fireworks as Gortarez followed up a Davis hit-by-pitch by blasting her first collegiate HR off the scoreboard in left center to extend the lead to 7-0.

The Burnt Orange & White power display continued into the fourth as Ellsworth hit her third HR of the season with a two-run shot just over the center field wall to improve the UT advantage to 9-0.

A combined perfect game bid by Texas hurlers Wright & Bolinger ended with one retired in the fourth as UTSA designated player Celeste Loughman beat out an infield single to third. The runner eventually swiped second on a strikeout to reach scoring position, but never moved another step, as a pop-up to second ended the frame.

With one final opportunity to avoid the run-rule in the bottom of the fifth, UTSA got the first two batters of the frame on against reliever Clark as center fielder Bailee Baldwin earned a lead-off walk and shortstop Kaley Pyles singled to left. Following strikeouts of second baseman Hailey Garza and pinch hitter Erica Sanchez, first baseman Angelica Nino hit a shot up the middle. The ball ricocheted off the glove of diving UT second baseman Kaitlyn Slack and caromed into left field for a RBI double to trim the UTSA deficit to 9-1. That was all the Roadrunners would get, however, as a bouncer to second left two in scoring position as Texas prevailed via run-rule.