No. 9 Softball rebounds to post 4-3 win at No. 21/16 Oklahoma State

Sunday, March 31

Stillwater, Oklahoma

1 p.m. CT

University of Texas

31-8, 5-2

#21/16 Oklahoma State

26-10, 4-2

Texas

Oklahoma State

No. 9 Softball rebounds to post 4-3 win at No. 21/16 Oklahoma State

03.31.2019 | Softball

Box Score

Junior pitcher Miranda Elish & sophomore catcher Mary Iakopo each blasted HR’s in the victory

STILLWATER, Okla. – Home runs from junior pitcher Miranda Elish and sophomore catcher Mary Iakopo helped power No. 9/10 Texas softball (31-8, 5-2 Big 12 Conference) to a 4-3 win over No. 21/16 Oklahoma State (26-10, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) on Sunday at Cowgirl Stadium.

Important Notes

Sunday marked the ninth time this season that Texas' offense hit at least two HR's in a game. UT is now 8-1 overall in such instances.
With 11 strikeouts against Oklahoma State, Elish reached double figures in K's for the seventh time this season.
By scoring first during the second inning against the Cowgirls, Texas improved to a perfect 23-0 this year when putting the first run up on the scoreboard.
UT managed at least five extra-base hits in a single contest for the seventh time in 2019 on Sunday against Oklahoma State.

Major Players

Iakopo went 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored, her team-leading sixth HR of the season and two RBIs, while Elish helped her own cause at the plate by going 1-for-3 with her fifth HR and a RBI. Sophomore first baseman Lauren Burke was 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI, sophomore second baseman Janae Jefferson went 2-for-3, redshirt junior center fielder Reagan Hathaway was 1-for-4 with a run and her team-best 14th double of the season and junior third baseman Shannon Rhodes was 1-for-3 with her seventh double.

In the Circle

Elish improved to 9-5 overall after allowing three earned runs on four hits with a walk and 11 strikeouts over a complete-game effort.

The Details

The Longhorns jumped to an early lead in Sunday's contest as a one-out Iakopo walk, a Rhodes double into the right field corner and a Burke RBI groundout to second combined to grant Texas a 1-0 advantage.

Meanwhile, in the circle for the Burnt Orange & White, Elish rolled through the OSU line-up in order over the opening two frames with four total strikeouts.

Oklahoma State managed its first base runner of the contest starting the bottom of the third as third baseman Sydney Pennington just beat out an infield single to second. She eventually advanced within 60 feet of pay dirt on a two-out stolen base and a UT throwing error, but was left stranded as Elish struck out right fielder Rylee Bayless to end the threat.

Elish helped her own cause in the top of the fourth as the Crown Point, Ind., native granted UT a 2-0 lead by blasting the first pitch of the inning to center for her fifth HR of the season.

Her opposing counterpart answered right back for OSU in the bottom of the fourth as Cowgirl starting pitcher Samantha Show hit a solo shot to right center to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Hathaway got the Longhorns back in business in the sixth by leading off the frame with a liner that hit about six inches from the top of the wall in right for a double. That set the stage for Iakopo, as the sophomore catcher blasted a two-run HR to left to boost the Texas advantage to 4-1.

The back-and-forth contest continued into the bottom of the sixth as a leadoff walk came back to haunt the Horns after Bayless followed with a two-run shot to left to pull the Cowgirls back within 4-3.

Down to its final three outs of regulation, Oklahoma State got a two-out single from Pennington, but nothing else, as Elish struck out pinch hitter Sydney Springfield looking to end the contest.