The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
23-18, 3-6
Texas Tech
17-23, 4-8
Softball completes its sweep of Texas Tech on Saturday, 11-3
04.15.2017 | Softball
The Longhorns offense registered a season-high 17 hits in the commanding victory over the Red Raiders
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas softball's bats remained red-hot into Saturday at Rocky Johnson Field as the Longhorns (23-18, 3-6 Big 12 Conference) recorded a season-high 17 hits in completing their sweep of Texas Tech (17-23, 4-8 Big 12 Conference), 11-3.
Nine different Longhorns reached the hit column during the match-up led by three-hit efforts from both freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth (3-for-5, two runs) and freshman left fielder Tuesday DerMargosian (3-for-4, two runs). Freshman right fielder Kaitlyn Washington was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, senior third baseman Celina Felix was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs, junior designated player Randel Leahy was 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI and senior center fielder Stephanie Wong was 2-for-4 with two tallies and a pair of RBIs.
In the circle for the Horns, junior Kristen Clark improved to 3-0 overall after allowing four hits, walking one and striking out two over 3.2 scoreless innings of relief work. Sophomore Brooke Bolinger started the contest and permitted three earned runs on three hits with three walks and a K in 3.1 frames.
"We came out today with the plan of attack that we had talked about previously and just picked up where we left off from Friday night basically," Texas head coach Connie Clark said. "We went into a little bit of a lull, which can happen sometimes, after we put up the eight runs in the second. I love how we finished though by putting up a few more in the seventh inning. We got enough from our pitchers. It had been a while since Brooke had gotten a start, so it was good to get that look, and I thought Kristen was really, really good out of the bullpen. Our job from here will be to take it up a notch, regardless of who we're facing on a given day."
It was Texas Tech that jumped to an early lead during Saturday's finale as the Red Raiders raced in front 2-0 in the bottom of the first. Right fielder Kierra Miles got things going on a lead-off walk and a stolen base. Bolinger crept closer to getting out of danger from the circle on a strikeout and a fly ball to shallow center, but TTU shortstop Brittany Warnecke drove a two-run HR down the left field line.
With Texas looking to answer right back, Ellsworth and Leahy christened the top of the second in positive fashion on consecutive base hits back up the middle. DerMargosian joined her teammates on the base paths with one down by chopping a perfect slap single to third to load the bags. The Longhorns soon got on the board as freshman second baseman Malory Schattle lifted a long sacrifice fly to deep left, plating Ellsworth to cut the TTU lead in half. Wong stepped into the box with the chance for a couple of two-out RBIs and delivered by bouncing a single through the right side to make it 3-2. From there the Burnt Orange & White offense exploded for five consecutive hits as singles from senior shortstop Devon Tunning and Washington (RBI), a two-RBI double off the bat of Felix and the second base knocks of the inning from both Ellsworth and Leahy (RBI) boosted UT to a commanding 8-2 advantage. When the dust eventually settled, the Longhorns had plated eight runs on nine hits in the frame while sending 12 batters to the dish.
The offensive chances continued fast and furious into Texas Tech's half of the second as a Kiami Ramsey lead-off single, a UT infield error and a walk loaded the bags full of Red Raiders with two retired. Bolinger danced her way out of trouble again by forcing third baseman Devon Thomey to ground out harmlessly to first as TTU left the trio stranded.
The long ball made another appearance for Tech during the bottom of the fourth as left fielder Raina O'Neal hit a solo HR to right center to cut the Red Raider deficit to 8-3. A hit batter and a walk ended Bolinger's stay in the circle as the decision was made to summon Clark out of the bullpen in relief. Thomey greeted the new hurler rudely with a bloop single into shallow right field, loading the bags with still just one retired. For the second time in three innings, Texas Tech left the bases loaded as Clark struck out catcher Susan Welborn before getting Warnecke to fly out to center to conclude the frame.
The Red Raiders packed the bags again in the fifth, this time with no outs on a pair of singles and a walk. TTU designated player Ashley Fultz attempted to drop a bunt on a squeeze play, but popped it up behind home plate. Ellsworth raced out from behind the dish and made arguably the biggest defensive play of the contest by catching the ball while simultaneously falling into the netting. That seemed to take the steam out of the Texas Tech attack as a pop-up and a fly out to right ended things and raised the TTU left on base count to 10 through five frames.
Three-straight singles from DerMargosian, sophomore pinch hitter Bekah Alcozer and Wong set the stage for a one-out Tunning sacrifice fly in the seventh as the Longhorns added another tally. Washington immediately knocked in two more via a double to the wall in right center as the Texas advantage expanded to 11-3.
From there, Clark allowed a one-out infield single during the bottom of the seventh, but that was it as a strikeout and a pop-up to short ended the Texas victory.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Clark, Kristen (3-0)
L: Scott, Kassidy (9-15)
Batting:
2B: Washington, Kaitlyn 1 ; Felix, Celina 2
RBI: Tunning, Devon 1 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 3 ; Felix, Celina 2 ; Leahy, Randel 1 ; Schattle, Malory 1 ; Romero, Chloe 2
SF: Tunning, Devon 1 ; Schattle, Malory 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tunning, Devon 1 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 1 ; Felix, Celina 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 2 ; Leahy, Randel 1 ; DerMargosian, Tuesday 2 ; Alcozer, Bekah 1 ; Romero, Chloe 2
HBP: Felix, Celina 1
Batting:
HR: Warnecke, Brittany 1 ; O'Neal, Raina 1
RBI: Warnecke, Brittany 2 ; O'Neal, Raina 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miles, Kierra 1 ; Warnecke, Brittany 1 ; O'Neal, Raina 1
SB: Miles, Kierra 1
HBP: Workman, Kiana 1
