The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Softball sweeps doubleheader from UIW, 5-2 and 8-0 (6 inn.)
05.02.2018 | Softball
With the victories, the Longhorns reached the 30-win mark for the 10th consecutive season
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AUSTIN, Texas – On Wednesday evening at Red & Charline McCombs Field, Texas softball (30-21) managed to get all 17 available players, including all six pitchers, action and recorded seven doubles as a team while sweeping a non-conference doubleheader from UIW (14-32), 5-2 and 8-0 (6 inn.).
The Longhorns offense banged out 16 total hits led by a combined 4-for-5 (.800) effort over the doubleheader with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs from junior center fielder Kay Kay Hayter. Freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson extended her hitting streak to a career-high 14 games with a double in each match-up and two total RBIs. Senior pitcher/designated player Paige von Sprecken was 2-for-4 (.500) with a double and two RBIs, while senior right fielder/catcher Randel Leahy went 3-for-7 (.429) with a double and delivered the walk-off RBI single to end the nightcap by run rule.
In the circle for Texas, redshirt junior Erica Wright (5-4) picked up the victory in the opener, allowing one earned run with four hits, two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts over four innings. Junior Brooke Bolinger (12-6) tossed four frames of one-hit work with two strikeouts in winning the DH finale, teaming with freshman Chloe Romero (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB) and senior Kristen Clark (1.0 IP, 1 H) on a shutout.
Game One
Six different Longhorns had hits in game one led by a 2-for-2 effort from Hayter with two RBIs, while Leahy went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Sophomore shortstop Kaitlyn Slack (1-for-3, run) and von Sprecken (1-for-2) each managed single RBIs.
An error opened the door for UIW to jump to a first inning lead in the DH opener. Leadoff batter Marcela Lopez reached on a throwing miscue to begin the contest, was sacrificed to second and scored an unearned run on a two-out RBI single by right fielder Delaney Guzman to make it 1-0.
Texas answered right back in the bottom of the first as Jefferson got things started on a leadoff walk. With the rookie speedster in scoring position after a sac bunt, a pick-off attempt went awry for the Cardinals as a dropped throw to second allowed Jefferson to scamper within 60 feet of paydirt. That set the stage for a von Sprecken sacrifice fly, tying the contest at 1-1.
The early fireworks continued into the second as a leadoff walk came back to hurt Wright. UIW sacrificed the runner into scoring position and again got a two-out RBI as designated player Emily Castro ripped a base knock to left for a 2-1 advantage.
Consecutive singles from Leahy and sophomore left fielder Kaitlyn Washington got the Horns back in business starting their half of the second. With the duo at second and third and one out, Slack stepped into the box and chopped a ball through the right side for a RBI to deadlock things at 2-2. From there, Hayter laced a two-RBI single up the middle, and Jefferson followed with a shot to left center, that was dropped for a run-scoring error, to boost Texas in front by three.
Wright settled things down from the circle by striking out five of the six batters she faced over the third and fourth innings to improve her season-high K total to eight.
With two down in the bottom of the fourth, Jefferson launched a double to left center, extending her hitting streak to 13 games.
A string of 11 straight Cardinals retired by a combination of Wright, freshman Ariana Adams (1.0 IP, 0 H) and von Sprecken ended with two down in the top of the sixth as left fielder Monica Flores was hit by a pitch. That was all UIW could get against von Sprecken, however, as the Yorba Linda, Calif., native rebounded with a strikeout to end the frame.
With UIW down to one last chance to rally in the top of the seventh, the Cardinals stayed alive with a two-out walk and a single deep into the hole at short to bring up the potential tying run. That was all they would get, however, as first baseman Hope Sobolewski went down swinging to end Texas' game one triumph.
Game Two
Seven different Texas batters managed hits in the night's second contest with Hayter leading the charge by going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and a RBI. Jefferson was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, von Sprecken was 1-for-2 with her team-leading 18th double and a RBI, sophomore center fielder Tuesday DerMargosian was 1-for-1 with a double, run scored and a RBI, sophomore catcher Taylor Ellsworth was 1-for-1 with a double and a RBI, sophomore first baseman Malory Schattle was 0-for-1 with a sacrifice fly and Leahy was 1-for-4 with the walk-off RBI single.
After a quiet first inning, Texas' offense got something started against pitcher Breanna Hernandez in the bottom of the second as Ellsworth registered a leadoff walk and Washington earned a one-out free pass. With the pair on base, a wild pitch advanced the duo up 60 feet, setting the stage for Schattle's sacrifice fly to grant UT a 1-0 lead.
With Bolinger having limited the Cardinals to just one hit over three innings, the Longhorns got rolling again in the bottom of the third. Hayter led off the inning by driving a single to center and quickly took second as the ball was bobbled by UIW's Marcela Lopez. With the chance to register a big two-out RBI, von Sprecken delivered by lining her 18th double of the season to left to plate Hayter for a 2-0 advantage.
Texas finally exploded in the bottom of the fourth, plating five runs while sending nine batters to the plate. The big blows came by way of RBI doubles from Hayter, Dermargosian and Ellsworth and a Jefferson two-RBI double.
The most serious UIW threat came against reliever Romero in the top of the fifth as shortstop Mackenzie Stark and third baseman Shelby Neatherlin reached with one out on a walk and single, respectively. The freshman hurler refused to allow anything else to the Cardinals as consecutive groundouts ended the threat.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Longhorns finally ended things via run rule as a leadoff MK Tedder walk and a sacrifice bunt set the stage for Leahy's walk-off RBI single to center.
