Softball’s season ends in a 3-1 NCAA Regional loss to No. 12/11 Texas A&M

Sunday, May 21

College Station, Texas

1:30 p.m.

University of Texas

33-26

#12/11 Texas A&M

45-10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Texas A&M	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	3	8	0
Texas	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	0

Softball’s season ends in a 3-1 NCAA Regional loss to No. 12/11 Texas A&M

05.21.2017 | Softball

Box Score

Texas finishes the year at 33-26 after advancing to the College Station Regional Championship Round

Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – On Sunday afternoon in NCAA College Station Regional action at the Aggie Softball Complex, an early one-run lead wasn't quite enough for Texas softball (33-26) as No. 12/11 Texas A&M (45-10) rallied back to eliminate the Longhorns from the regional championship round, 3-1.

The Longhorns managed four total hits off Aggie starter Samantha Show with senior first baseman Kelli Hanzel (1-for-2), freshman left fielder Tuesday DerMargosian (1-for-3), freshman right fielder Kaitlyn Washington (1-for-2, walk, RBI) and senior center fielder Stephanie Wong (1-for-3) managing single base knocks.

In the circle for the Burnt Orange & White, senior Tiarra Davis (8-11) took the loss after allowing three earned runs on six hits with four walks and a strikeout over 3.2 innings. Redshirt sophomore Erica Wright permitted just two hits, walked one and struck out one over 3.1 frames of scoreless relief.

Texas A&M threatened right from the start against Davis, putting two aboard with two outs on walks to left fielder Kelli Milligan and shortstop Kristen Cuyos. UT's left-hander got out of the first-inning jam, however, by inducing a harmless, inning-ending fly ball to right from catcher Ashley Walters.

The Longhorns got their first base runner the painful way during the first as freshman second baseman Jade Gortarez took a Show pitch right in the back to reach base with one down. Senior third baseman Celina Felix stepped to the plate and crushed a ball to deep left, but a stiff wind knocked it down at the fence and forced it foul as left fielder Milligan made the catch. A bouncer back to the circle ended the frame with Gortarez still in scoring position.

The Aggie offense got right back in business in the top of the second, loading the bases with one retired on a lead-off Riley Sartain walk, a Show single to center and a perfect Erica Russell bunt base hit. With two down, after Gortarez handled a fielder's choice bouncer to second and got the lead runner at the plate, Davis came through with a huge strikeout of Milligan as A&M missed a huge early scoring opportunity.

Senior designated player Mickenzi Krpec battled Show to draw a lead-off walk for the Burnt Orange & White opening the bottom of the second and immediately moved to second on a Hanzel sac bunt. Fresh off her Saturday night game-tying heroics, DerMargosian kept her solid work at the plate going by ripping a sharp single off the third baseman and into shallow left to station runners at the corners with one down. That set the stage for the Longhorns to nab an early lead as Washington hit a RBI groundout to second, scoring Krpec easily from 60 feet away to make it 1-0.

The advantage lasted just one batter as Texas A&M first baseman Tori Vidales hit a solo HR to right center to tie the contest at 1-1 in the top of the third.

A one-out walk and consecutive singles loaded the bases full of Aggies in the top of the fourth. Once again, Vidales stepped into the box and victimized the Longhorns by driving a two-run double off the wall in left center to boost the A&M advantage to 3-1. The damage could have been worse as Wright unleashed a wild pitch with Aggies at the corners. Freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth raced to the backstop to corral the ball, however, and tossed it to Wright who applied a rally-ending tag at the plate.

Needing something to answer back, the Longhorns got off to the right start in the bottom of the fifth as Washington led off the inning with a walk and Wong followed with a single off the pitcher. Tunning stepped into the box and hit a sharp shot to third, but it was turned into a unfortunate 5-3 double play that effectively neutralized UT's scoring threat. Wong moved to third on a Show wild pitch, but that was far as she'd get as a Gortarez bouncer back to the circle kept UT from cutting into a two-run deficit.

Facing a last chance to extend its season, Texas got some two-out life on a Washington single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh. That was all the Longhorns could manage, however, as Show got Wong to hit a bouncer to first to end the contest.