Softball eliminates Texas Southern from NCAA Regional play, 8-0 (5 inn.)

Saturday, May 20

College Station, Texas

4 p.m.

University of Texas

32-25

Texas Southern

25-21

Texas Southern

Texas

Softball eliminates Texas Southern from NCAA Regional play, 8-0 (5 inn.)

05.20.2017 | Softball

Box Score

The Longhorns (32-25) will now face Texas State at 7:14 p.m. CT for a berth in Sunday’s regional title game

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – On Saturday evening at the Aggie Softball Complex, Texas softball (32-25) stayed alive in the NCAA College Station Regional by hammering out 11 hits while eliminating Texas Southern (25-21), 8-0 (5 inn.).

The Longhorns now move on to battle Texas State (42-16) at approximately 7:14 p.m. CT for a berth in Sunday's regional championship game against No. 12/11 Texas A&M.

Senior center fielder Stephanie Wong helped power the offensive charge by going 1-for-1 with her first HR of the season, a three-run shot, and three RBIs. Freshman left fielder Tuesday DerMargosian was 1-for-2 with two RBIs, freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth was 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI, senior shortstop Devon Tunning was 2-for-3, senior third baseman Celina Felix was 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI, senior first baseman Kelli Hanzel was 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored and junior pitcher Paige von Sprecken (1-for-1) finished the contest with a walk-off double.

In the circle for the Burnt Orange & White, von Sprecken (7-6) walked two and struck out five while twirling a one-hit shutout.

The Longhorns wasted no time taking a 3-0 lead over Texas Southern via the long ball in the bottom of the second. With two on base after a lead-off Mickenzi Krpec single to left and a Hanzel walk, Wong stepped to the plate with two retired and launched a three-run bomb to right center to clear the base paths.

After leaving a runner stranded in the second, the Lady Tigers got something going with two down in the third as a Texas infield miscue allowed right fielder Terren Vinson to reach safely. The base runner swiped a bag to reach scoring position, but never moved any further as center fielder Heaven Benavidez' bouncer to second ended the frame.

The Longhorns immediately added more on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as Ellsworth got things going with a double down the left field line. With two outs, Hanzel singled and swiped second to put a pair in scoring position for DerMargosian. The Fort Worth, Texas, native delivered in the clutch by slapping a two-RBI base knock through the right side to make it 5-0.

The Burnt Orange & White continued their amazing two-out production into the fourth, adding two more to take a 7-0 advantage. With freshman pinch hitter Malory Schattle having extended the inning on a walk, Felix ripped a double off the top of the wall down the left field line to score the runner all the way from first. Ellsworth immediately followed by driving a RBI single through the middle as Felix scored UT's seventh tally.

Needing something quickly to get back in the contest, Texas Southern pinch hitter Zariah Robins got the fifth off to the right start for the Lady Tigers by drawing a lead-off walk. A stolen base, a two-out fielding miscue on the Longhorns infield and another theft stationed TSU runners at second and third for Benavidez. In the circle, von Sprecken battled her way out of the jam by inducing a bouncer to short that was handled by Tunning to conclude the threat with no damage.

With the opportunity to bring the run-rule into play in the bottom of the fifth, Texas successfully took care of business. After a Hanzel single and a wild pitch, von Sprecken helped her own cause at the plate with a walk-off double to right as the Longhorns completed an 8-0 triumph.