The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
14-0
Lipscomb
6-6
No. 4 Softball fights off Lipscomb before falling to Duke in the nightcap
02.22.2020 | Softball
The Longhorns out-hit the Blue Devils but left nine runners stranded in a 1-0 defeat
AUSTIN, Texas – On Saturday night in Texas Invitational action at Red & Charline McCombs Field, No. 4 Texas softball (14-1) held off a tough challenge from Lipscomb, 12-11, before dropping its first game of the season in the nightcap to a 12-win Duke squad, 1-0.
Important Notes
- Saturday night's attendance of 1,346 was the most for a February home game at McCombs Field in program history. It broke the old mark of 1,260 set back on Feb. 8 of this season.
- Junior right fielder Lauren Burke is having quite a Texas Invitational as the Eugene, Ore., native is batting .750 (9-for-12) with six runs scored, four doubles, a triple and a team-best six RBIs over four games.
- Texas' pitching staff still hasn't allowed a HR to an opposing batter this season over 90 innings of work.
- The earned run that senior pitcher Miranda Elish allowed to Duke in the fourth inning was the first permitted by the senior right hander in her last 35.2 innings of work dating back to the season opener against Wichita State on Feb. 6.
- Texas has out-hit all 14 opponents it has faced this season and is averaging 10.7 hits-per-contest.
Major Players
vs. Lipscomb – Junior third baseman Mary Iakopo (4-for-4, double, triple, three runs, two RBIs); junior right fielder Lauren Burke (2-for-3, two doubles, three runs, two walks, two RBIs); junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (2-for-3, two runs, two walks, RBI), redshirt senior left fielder Reagan Hathaway (2-for-3, double, RBI); sophomore first baseman McKenzie Parker (2-for-2, walk, RBI); senior shortstop Kaitlyn Slack (run, two RBIs); junior pinch hitter MK Tedder (1-for-1, two RBIs)
vs. Duke – Jefferson (3-for-4); senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes (1-for-4, double); Burke (2-for-3, double)
In the Circle
vs. Lipscomb – Senior pitcher Miranda Elish improved to 7-0 overall by allowing two hits, walking none and striking out four over the final 1.2 innings of relief. Sophomore Shea O'Leary drew the start and permitted three earned runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout over four frames.
vs. Duke – Elish (7-1) suffered a tough first loss of the season after allowing just one earned run on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts over seven full innings.
The Details
vs. Lipscomb – The Lady Bisons set the game's tone by jumping to an early lead in the top of the first. With two on and one down, catcher Katie Rich delivered the big hit in the frame by driving a two-RBI single to center. A Texas fielding miscue on a Caitlin Turner bouncer plated another as Lipscomb grabbed a quick 3-0 advantage.
The Longhorns posted a threat of their own in the first as Rhodes and Jefferson started off the frame with consecutive singles. Unfortunately, Lipscomb starter Katie Turner retired the next three batters she faced to leave the duo in scoring position.
Texas got back in business to start the second as Burke and Hathaway each managed base knocks. Trying to sacrifice bunt, Parker popped her effort up, but it dropped just in front of the glove of diving Lipscomb third baseman Alana Collins to load the bases. That set the stage for a Slack RBI as her grounder to third proved just enough as Burke slid under a tag at home to cut the deficit to 3-1. From there, Jefferson ripped a RBI single through the left side, and Iakopo followed with a rocket off the shortstop's glove to score another as Texas tied things up at 3-3.
UT finally grabbed its first lead of the contest with a two-spot in the bottom of the third. With Elish and Burke in scoring position with only one down, a Parker RBI single and a Slack sacrifice fly combined to bring both runners home to make it 5-3.
With O'Leary bending a bit in the circle but being backed up by her defense, Texas kept adding to its advantage in the fourth. First, it was Iakopo who drove a shot to the wall in right and hustled all the way into third for a RBI triple. Sophomore catcher Colleen Sullivan soon followed with a RBI groundout to short to boost the advantage to 7-3. Hathaway then just missed a two-run HR as her drive to right rattled off the wall to score another.
Lipscomb clawed back two in the top of the fifth after loading the bases against freshman reliever Courtney Day on two singles and a hit batter. Caitlin Turner knocked in one on a sacrifice fly, while a UT fielding miscue allowed another to cross to cut the gap to 8-5.
The Longhorns managed to score three more times in the fifth, on a Tedder two-RBI single and a Burke RBI double, to make it 11-5. No one knew at the time how important those runs would be in the contest.
That's because Lipscomb utilized five hits, a pair of failed fielder's choice plays and a Texas fielding error to score six times to tie the contest at 11-11. With the bases still loaded and one out, Elish was summoned out of the bullpen facing a huge spot and immediately got Texas clear of the danger with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Lady Bisons refused to quit, however, loading the bases in the top of the seventh on two base hits and another Texas fielding miscue. UT's senior hurler again fought her way out of a jam by striking out Collins and first baseman Jenna Endris to leave the bags packed.
Given a chance to walk the contest off in the bottom of the seventh, the Longhorns took full advantage. Iakopo started things with a leadoff double, moved to third on a sac bunt and eventually raced home on a Burke RBI fielder's choice to seal a wild, 12-11 victory.
vs. Duke – Neither team's offense seriously threatened until the bottom of the third as Texas used a two-out Rhodes double to the wall in right center and a Jefferson infield single and stolen base to put a pair in scoring position. Washington stepped up and ripped a hard bouncer to third that was bobbled briefly. Blue Devil third baseman Raine Wilson recovered in time, however, to fire a strike and barely retire Washington at first to prevent the game's first run from scoring.
Duke finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the fourth. It was Wilson that got the rally started by leading off the frame with a double to right center. After advancing to third on a throw to first on a dropped third strike, she raced home to score on a Carline Jacobsen infield single to make it 1-0.
The Longhorns threatened again in the bottom of the fifth as singles from Day and Jefferson put two in scoring position with two retired. The big hit still wouldn't materialize, though, as Washington laced a shot to left, but it was caught short of the track to raise the Texas left stranded count to six.
The biggest chance of the game for UT came during the sixth as an Iakopo walk, a dropped liner in left and a misplayed ball at third loaded the bases full of Horns with one out. Redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth stepped to the plate and chopped a ball to short. Duke shortstop Deja Davis corralled the ball and fired a strike to the plate to prevent the tying run from scoring. With one final chance for a breakthrough, Day drove a ball to right but it was caught short of the track.
With one last opportunity to extend or perhaps win the game in the bottom of the seventh, Texas got a one-out single down the left line off Jefferson's bat. Unfortunately, a fielder's choice eliminated the speedster from the basepaths, and then a caught stealing ended the contest.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Elish, Miranda (7-0)
L: YAKUBOWSKI, EMILY (0-5)
Batting:
2B: WARD, PEYTON 1 ; DEVAULT, HANNAH 1 ; TURNER, CAITLIN 1
RBI: DEVAULT, HANNAH 2 ; RICH, KAMRIE 2 ; TURNER, CAITLIN 2 ; COLLINS, ALANA 1 ; ENDRIS, JENNA 1 ; DAVIS, ABBY 1
Base Running:
RUNS: VETULA, AMY 2 ; WARD, PEYTON 3 ; DEVAULT, HANNAH 2 ; RICH, KAMRIE 1 ; PAULSON, KELLY 1 ; WARD, OLIVIA 1 ; DAVIS, ABBY 1
SB: VETULA, AMY 1 ; WARD, PEYTON 1
HBP: DEVAULT, HANNAH 1 ; WARD, OLIVIA 1
Batting:
2B: Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Burke, Lauren 2 ; Hathaway, Reagan 1 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 1
3B: Iakopo, Mary 1
RBI: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 2 ; Sullivan, Colleen 1 ; Tedder, MK 2 ; Burke, Lauren 2 ; Hathaway, Reagan 1 ; Parker, McKenzie 1 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 2
SH: Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Hathaway, Reagan 1 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 1
SF: Slack, Kaitlyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Jefferson, Janae 2 ; Iakopo, Mary 3 ; Elish, Miranda 1 ; Tedder, MK 1 ; Burke, Lauren 3 ; Slack, Kaitlyn 1
SB: Jefferson, Janae 2 ; Parker, McKenzie 1
