No. 3 Softball splits its Saturday action at the Judi Garman Classic

Saturday, February 29

Fullerton, Calif.

2:30 p.m. CT

University of Texas

18-3

Fresno State

17-3

Texas

Fresno State

No. 3 Softball splits its Saturday action at the Judi Garman Classic

02.29.2020 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Longhorns dropped a one-run decision to Fresno State (4-3) before beating No. 13/11 Michigan, 1-0

FULLERTON, Calif. – It was an up-and-down Saturday afternoon for No. 3 Texas softball (19-3) at the Judi Garman Classic as the Longhorns dropped a 4-3 decision to Fresno State (17-3) before rebounding to post a 1-0 win over No. 13/11 Michigan (10-5).

With the victory over the Wolverines, Texas head coach Mike White earned his 500th career win. Currently in his 11th season as a head coach, White holds a 500-131-1 (.792) overall record.

Important Notes

Texas' victory over Michigan was its fourth over a top-15 team in the last five days. UT had already posted wins this week over No. 10/9 Louisiana (Tuesday), No. 1 UCLA (Thursday) and No. 2 Washington (Friday).
Texas holds an impressive 5-1 overall record this season against ranked teams with the lone loss coming in the first game of a Feb. 25 doubleheader against No. 10/9 Louisiana, 3-2.
In all three of Texas' losses this season, the Longhorns have fallen by just one run while managing to put the tying run on base in the seventh inning.
Freshman designated player Courtney Day posted the first two-HR game of her career and of the season for the Longhorns during the 4-3 loss to Fresno State.
With 11 strikeouts against Fresno State, senior pitcher Miranda Elish struck out more than 10 batters in a game for the 23rd time in her All-American career (12th time at Texas)
Texas reached the 50-double mark in just 22 games this season. At 2.27 doubles-per-game, the Longhorns are well ahead of the pace to break the 2019 team's school record of 91 doubles.

Major Players

vs. Fresno State – Day (2-for-3, two runs, two HR's, two RBIs); junior first baseman Lauren Burke (2-for-4, double, RBI); junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (1-for-3, run)

vs. #13/11 Michigan – Sophomore catcher Colleen Sullivan (1-for-2, run, double); senior shortstop Kaitlyn Slack (0-for-1, sacrifice fly, RBI); Jefferson (1-for-3)

In the Circle

vs. Fresno State – Elish (8-3) took the tough loss in a complete-game effort, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

vs. #13/11 Michigan – Sophomore righty Shea O'Leary improved to 5-0 overall after scattering four hits, walking one and striking out six over a complete game.

The Details

vs. Fresno State – Texas jumped right to an early lead in the top of the first. With Jefferson at second following a leadoff FS error, Burke stepped up and drove a RBI double to left center to make it 1-0.

The Bulldogs answered right back in the bottom half as a leadoff walk was eventually cashed in on Schuylar Broussard's RBI single through the left side to tie things up. First baseman Alesia Denby soon followed with a RBI single, while a run-scoring wild pitch eventually boosted Fresno State to a 3-1 lead.

The Longhorns pulled one back leading off the third as Day crushed a Hailey Dolcini offering well over the wall in left to cut the gap to 3-2.

A Fresno State leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth came back to hurt the Horns as a stolen base and then a two-out Vanessa Hernandez bloop single to left center made it 4-2.

The Horns continued to mount threats, but couldn't find the big hit they needed as UT left two stranded in both the fifth and sixth innings (seven in the game).

Day struck again in the top of the seventh by blasting her second HR of the day over the wall in left center. The Longhorns got a Jefferson walk and a one-out Alyssa Popelka stolen base to advance the tying run into scoring position. Unfortunately for Texas, a swinging strikeout and a bouncer to short sealed the one-run loss.

vs. #13/11 Michigan – In a pitcher's duel between O'Leary and Michigan's Meghan Beaubien, neither team could get anything going offensively until the top of the fourth when Wolverines left fielder Lexie Blair drove a one-out double to the wall in left. After a hit batter put two UM runners aboard, Jefferson and Slack each made solid plays on grounders up the middle and stepped on the second-base bag for fielder's choices to end the threat with no damage.

After suffering through five no-hit innings, Texas finally got to Beaubien in the bottom of the sixth as Sullivan started off the frame with a double to the wall in right center. With senior pinch runner Tuesday DerMargosian at third following a Taylor Ellsworth sac bunt, Slack stepped up and drove a sac fly to right center to make it 1-0.

UM mounted a threat in the top of the seventh as catcher Hannah Carson singled and center fielder Haley Hoogenraad walked. With two down in the frame and the potential go-ahead run standing at first, O'Leary managed to get second baseman Morgan Overaitis to fly out to left to end the contest.