The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
26-15, 9-0
Texas Tech
21-22, 1-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Texas | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | X | 6 | 9 | 1 |
Softball completes third-straight Big 12 sweep with 6-2 win over Texas Tech
04.15.2018 | Softball
Four different Longhorns managed RBIs as UT rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to win
AUSTIN, Texas – On Sunday afternoon in front of 991 orange-clad fans at Red & Charline McCombs Field, Texas softball (26-15, 9-0 Big 12 Conference) got RBIs from four different players and a complete-game effort out of redshirt junior pitcher Erica Wright to finish a series sweep of Texas Tech (21-22, 1-11 Big 12 Conference) and improve to 9-0 in league play for only the second time in program history.
The Longhorns offense banged out nine total hits in the contest led by a 3-for-4 effort with two doubles and two RBIs by senior designated player Paige von Sprecken. Freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson went 2-for-3 with a RBI, sophomore left fielder Kaitlyn Washington was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a RBI and sophomore catcher Taylor Ellsworth was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
In the circle for the Burnt Orange & White, Wright improved to 4-2 on the season by allowing one earned run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts over a complete-game effort. Amazingly, the Huntington, Texas, native fired first-pitch strikes to 26-of-27 batters she faced and the last 25 in a row.
"Always good to sweep," Texas head coach Connie Clark said. "Especially coming into an early-morning start on Sunday. It's not easy. I really applaud our team. I thought we started, I wouldn't say sluggish, but I thought we got off to a little bit of a rough start. I like that we didn't panic. It was back to work, and let's shore it up. A 'we've got to answer back' sort of thing. It was a really good approach after a little bit of a slow start."
Texas Tech grabbed its first lead of the series during the opening inning of Sunday's finale. First baseman Jessica Hartwell beat out a one-out infield single and swiped second. Right fielder Karli Hamilton followed with a base knock to the outfield, that was misplayed for an error, allowing Hartwell the opportunity to race home and grant TTU a quick 1-0 advantage.
Jefferson got the Longhorns offense going immediately from her leadoff spot in the bottom of the first, blasting a single to left center for her sixth hit of the series. That's when misfortune struck UT as von Sprecken stepped into the box and hit a shot that looked like it was heading through the right side of the infield. Jefferson attempted to get out of the way of the ball, but was hit for what turned out to be a very important first out for TTU. Washington soon followed by launching what would have been a run-scoring double down the left field line, advancing von Sprecken up to third. Unfortunately for the Burnt Orange & White, a sharp Ellsworth liner to first and a strikeout ended the once promising frame with no damage.
In the top of the third, Hartwell boosted the Red Raider lead to 2-0 with a two-out solo HR over the wall in left.
Junior center fielder Kay Kay Hayter started a Texas rally during the bottom of the third by hitting a slap towards third. TTU's Breanna Russell fielded the ball cleanly but threw just wide of first for an error as UT's speedster strolled into scoring position. That set the stage for some Texas offensive fireworks as consecutive one-out RBI doubles from von Sprecken and Washington pulled the Longhorns even at 2-2.
With the teams still deadlocked in the bottom of the fourth, sophomore first baseman Malory Schattle was hit by an Erin Edmoundson pitch to open the frame. Following a perfect Kaitlyn Slack sacrifice bunt and a pop-up, Jefferson delivered the big two-out hit UT needed by driving a shot up the middle to score Schattle and grant the Longhorns their first lead of the contest at 3-2.
Looking to answer right back in the top of the fifth, Texas Tech left fielder Heaven Burton blooped a ball just over Slack at short and managed to beat out a two-out double. That brought the dangerous Hartwell to the plate facing a big spot. Wright battled the dangerous power hitter to a full count before inducing a towering pop-up to second to leave the runner in scoring position.
The Longhorns finally blew things open in the bottom of the sixth, plating three insurance runs to grab a 6-2 advantage. The big blows came on a von Sprecken RBI double down the right field line and a two-RBI Ellsworth single to right.
From there, Wright allowed a two-out Texas Tech walk during the sixth, but nothing else as Texas completed a 6-2 win and the series sweep.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wright, Erica (4-2)
L: Edmoundson (13-9)
Batting:
2B: H. Burton 1
HR: J. Hartwell 1
RBI: J. Hartwell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: J. Hartwell 2
SB: J. Hartwell 1
CS: M. Cochran 1
Batting:
2B: von Sprecken, Paige 2 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 2
RBI: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; von Sprecken, Paige 2 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 2
SH: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: von Sprecken, Paige 1 ; DerMargosian, Tuesday 1 ; Schattle, Malory 1 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 1 ; Hayter, Ki'Audra 2
HBP: Washington, Kaitlyn 1 ; Parker, McKenzie 2 ; Schattle, Malory 1
