No. 4 Softball rallies again to knock-off North Texas, 3-2 (9 inn.)

Wednesday, February 19

Austin, Texas

4:30 p.m. CT

University of Texas

11-0

North Texas

8-2

North Texas

Texas

No. 4 Softball rallies again to knock-off North Texas, 3-2 (9 inn.)

02.19.2020 | Softball

Box Score

Senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes delivered the clutch, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth

AUSTIN, Texas – It's never over for No. 4 Texas softball (11-0) as the Longhorns scored the tying run in the bottom of the seventh and eventually utilized senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes' walk-off single in the ninth to complete a 3-2 (9 inn.) comeback victory over North Texas (8-2) on a drizzly Wednesday night at Red & Charline McCombs Field.

Important Notes

North Texas entered tonight's game with just one loss and already boasting a 2-1 road win at No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette.
Texas has found itself trailing heading into the bottom of the seventh twice this season (vs. Utah and vs. North Texas) and rallied back both times. Against the Utes, Texas dug itself out of a 2-0 hole to win 3-2 in seven innings, while tonight, the Longhorns tied the game in the seventh before walking it off in the ninth.
Sophomore catcher/first baseman Colleen Sullivan has now reached base safely in all 11 games to begin her Longhorns career.
Texas has out-hit all 11 opponents it has faced this season and is 6-0 when scoring in the first inning.
At 11-0, Texas is off to its best start to a season since opening the 2016 campaign at 12-0. The 11-0 start ties the 2010 Longhorns for the fourth-best beginning to a season in school history.
With redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth's fourth-inning single against North Texas, all 18 possible batters on UT's 2020 roster now have at least one hit this season. Sophomore pitcher Shea O'Leary and junior pitcher Ariana Adams aren't expected to bat this year.
Texas improved to a 15-1 all-time against North Texas, including a perfect 13-0 at McCombs Field.

Major Players

Rhodes (2-for-4, run, walk); junior third baseman Mary Iakopo (2-for-4); junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (1-for-2, walk); senior right fielder/pitcher Miranda Elish (1-for-2, walk); senior left fielder Kaitlyn Washington (RBI)

In the Circle

Elish (5-0) earned the win in relief, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out five over the final 4.0 innings of the contest. Sophomore Shea O'Leary started the game and permitted one earned run on three hits with two walks and three K's in 3.0 frames. Freshman Courtney Day allowed one hit and K'ed one in 2.0 innings of relief.

The Details

A Texas fielding error helped North Texas jump to an early lead in the top of the first. With a Mean Green runner aboard on the miscue and one out, second baseman Lacy Gregory ripped a RBI double to the wall in right center. First baseman Tayla Evans quickly followed with a RBI single up the middle as UNT grabbed a 2-0 advantage.

The Longhorns utilized Rhodes, Jefferson and Sullivan walks to load the bags with one out in the bottom of the first. Washington stepped into the box and drove a sacrifice fly to center, plating Rhodes from 60 feet away to cut the UT deficit to 2-1.

From there, the pitchers took more control, but the theme became missed opportunities for both teams as North Texas and Texas each left a pair of runners stranded in the second. Overall for the game, UNT left 10 runners on, while the Longhorns left eight.

Things didn't get really interesting until the bottom of the seventh. With Texas still trailing by a single run, junior pitch hitter Lauren Burke got her team off to a positive start by drawing a leadoff walk off UNT ace Hope Trautwein. A Rhodes single and a perfect Jefferson sacrifice bunt worked to station the tying run just 60 feet from pay dirt. That's when Trautwein helped the Longhorns cause by unleashing a run-scoring wild pitch to plate freshman pinch runner Camille Corona and dead-lock the score at 2-2. UT missed a big chance to walk it off in regulation as a strikeout and a pop-up to short left the winning run at third.

It looked as if North Texas would answer right back in the top of the eighth as the Mean Green loaded the bases with one out on a hit batter, a single and a fielding error. Facing a big spot, UNT third baseman Saleen Donohoe stepped up and ripped a liner to right. Junior MK Tedder was positioned perfectly to make the catch, and the UT defense nearly doubled off runners at first and second. The threat soon concluded as Elish handled a chopper back to the circle to leave the bags packed.

After UNT wasted a leadoff single in the top of the ninth, Texas finally walked things off in the bottom half. Iakopo kicked off the winning outburst by blooping a leadoff single to right center before moving into scoring position on a sac bunt. That set the stage for Rhodes' heroics as the Fort Worth, Texas, native lined a single through the right side of the infield. Senior pinch runner Tuesday DerMargosian rounded third, stopped and started back to the base but then raced home with the winning run on a bobble in the outfield.