The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#15/17 Arizona State
No. 9 Softball uses five extra-base hits to blast No. 15/17 Arizona State, 11-4
03.01.2019 | Softball
Junior pitcher Miranda Elish struck out a Texas career-high 14 Sun Devils during the complete-game win
TEMPE, Ariz. – Five extra-base hits, including back-to-back HR's from sophomore catcher Mary Iakopo and sophomore first baseman Lauren Burke, proved to be the impetus for No. 9/10 Texas softball (15-1) on Friday night at Farrington Softball Stadium as the Longhorns offense banged out a season-best 14 hits in rolling past No. 15/17 Arizona State (13-5), 11-4.
Important Notes
- By hitting back-to-back HR's on Friday during games against both Wisconsin and No. 15/17 Arizona State, the Longhorns blasted consecutive HR's in two games on the same day for the first time in program history. The occurrence also marked the fourth time that Texas has hit back-to-back HR's during consecutive games in school annals. (May 5 & 6, 2012; March 24 & 25, 2012: Feb. 22 & 23, 2008).
- UT has now won nine straight games, the program's longest winning streak since winning 12 in a row to open 2016.
- Elish struck out a Texas career-high 14 against the nationally-ranked Sun Devils and K'ed nine over a stretch from the second through the fourth innings.
- The 11 runs against the Sun Devils are the most Texas has scored against a ranked opponent since beating No. 22 Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., back on March 28, 2015, 11-5.
- Redshirt junior center fielder Reagan Hathaway registered her team and Big 12 Conference-leading ninth double of the season during the win over ASU.
- Texas has now scored three-or-more runs in an inning on 16 occasions in 2019 and at least once in 13-of-16 games played.
Major Players
Elish provided plenty of pop at the plate to back her pitching effort, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs, while sophomore catcher Mary Iakopo also registered four RBIs as part of her 2-for-5, HR (her third) effort. Burke was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a HR (her second) and two RBIs, and junior left fielder Shannon Rhodes was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI. Sophomore second baseman Janae Jefferson was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, Hathaway was 1-for-3 with her ninth double, two walks and two runs and senior right fielder Bekah Alcozer was 2-for-3 with a double.
In the Circle
Despite allowing three earned runs on five hits over a complete-game effort, Elish was masterful in striking out a Texas career-high 14 Sun Devils on the way to improving to 5-0 overall.
The Details
After Texas went down in order in its half of the first, Arizona State got something brewing in the bottom half as right fielder Kindra Hackbarth and left fielder Skylar McCarty each singled to leadoff the frame. A walk to catcher Maddi Hackbarth loaded the bases with two retired. That brought up former Longhorns player Jade Gortarez (played the 2017 season at UT) facing a big spot, but Elish got the shortstop to bounce the first pitch right back to the circle to crucially end the threat.
As they have done so often this season, the Longhorns offense ignited a two-out rally in the top of the second to grab the lead. It all started after junior designated player Kaitlyn Washington was struck by a pitch as Alcozer followed with a single to deep short and Elish helped her own cause by driving a RBI single up the middle to make it 1-0.
With Elish having struck out the ASU side during the bottom of the second, the Burnt Orange & White offense erupted for five more runs in the third. A Hathaway walk, a Jefferson bunt single and a throwing error on ASU third baseman Kiara Kennedy loaded with the bases with no one out. Consecutive RBI base knocks from Iakopo and Burke quickly staked the Longhorns to a 3-0 advantage. With the bags still packed and two outs, Elish delivered again with a bases-clearing double to left center as the gap expanded to 6-0.
The Sun Devils cut their deficit to 6-2 in the bottom of the third as a leadoff walk was cashed in on a one-out HR to left center by Morgan Howe.
It took just minutes for Texas to push its lead back to six runs as Iakopo followed up a Jefferson leadoff single with a one-out, two-run HR to left center. Burke quickly made it back-to-back HR's by bashing a shot off a light pole in right center for a 9-2 advantage.
The Longhorns finalized their offensive output at 11 runs by adding two more in the top of the seventh. They did the damage by combining a one-out Hathaway double, consecutive singles from Jefferson and Rhodes (RBI) and an Iakopo RBI fielder's choice.
ASU refused to quit in the bottom of the seventh, however, stringing together a leadoff walk, a pair of wild pitches, a Bella Loomis RBI double and a sacrifice fly to climb within 11-4. That was all the Sun Devils would get off Elish, though, as the junior struck out Howe for her 14th and final K of the night.
