The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
1-0
Wichita State
1-1
No. 6 Softball run-rules both Wichita State & Maryland on opening day
02.06.2020 | Softball
The Longhorns batted .509 as a team on the way to combining for 27 runs and 11 extra-base hits
AUSTIN, Texas – On Thursday in opening day action of the Texas Classic at Red & Charline McCombs Field, No. 6 Texas softball broke out the bats in a major way while run-ruling both Wichita State (10-2, 6 inn.) and Maryland (17-0, 5 inn.) to christen the 2020 campaign at a perfect 2-0.
Important Notes
- With its victory over Wichita State, Texas has now won all 24 of its season-openers in program history. Over that stretch, the Longhorns have out-scored the opposition, 161-13.
- Texas' 11-run fourth in the win over Maryland was its most runs in a single inning since plating 12 tallies during a 15-1 (5 inn.) win over Abilene Christian back on Feb. 25, 2016.
- Senior pitcher/designated player Miranda Elish went a remarkable 5-for-5 at the plate over the two games with three doubles, a HR and six RBIs, while sophomore transfer catcher/first baseman Colleen Sullivan debuted in the Burnt Orange & White with a 4-for-5 combined effort with three doubles and five RBIs.
- Two other Longhorns posted least four combined hits over the pair of match-ups: junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (4-for-5, six runs scored, double) and freshman designated player Courtney Day (4-for-5, double).
- With five doubles as a team against Maryland, the Longhorns tied for the fifth-most doubles in a single-game in program history.
- Freshmen Camille Corona, Courtney Day, Grace Green and London Marder all managed their first career Texas hits on Thursday, while Corona, Marder and Alyssa Popelka all registered their first career RBIs.
Major Players
vs. Wichita State – Jefferson (3-for-4, three runs); Sullivan (3-for-3, run, two doubles, four RBIs); Day (3-for-3, run, double); redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth (three RBIs); junior right fielder Lauren Burke (1-for-3, two RBIs)
vs. Maryland – Elish (4-for-4, two runs, two doubles, three-run HR, six RBIs); Corona (2-for-2, run, RBI); junior third baseman Mary Iakopo (1-for-3, run, double, two RBIs); redshirt senior center fielder Reagan Hathaway (1-for-3, two runs, HR, two RBIs); Jefferson (1-for-1, three runs, double); Sullivan (1-for-2, walk, double)
In the Circle
vs. Wichita State – Elish picked up the victory by allowing two earned runs on five hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts over 6.0 innings.
vs. Maryland – O'Leary tossed a shutout while allowing one-hit, walking one and striking out five over 5.0 frames.
The Details
vs. Wichita State
Wichita State wasted no time jumping to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first as the Shockers touched Elish for two runs on a RBI single by first baseman Neleigh Herring and a run-scoring wild pitch.
In the bottom of the first, the Longhorns offense roared to life as Hathaway walked and Jefferson singled to left center to put the first two batters of the season aboard. That set the tone as Ellsworth followed with a sac fly, and Sullivan registered her first career Texas double and RBI on a shot to right center to dead-lock the count at 2-2.
WSU threatened again by putting two more runners in scoring position with one down in the top of the second. Elish quickly ended the threat, however, on back-to-back strikeouts of second baseman Sydney McKinney and third baseman Ryleigh Buck.
Texas' offense strung together an outburst in the bottom of the fourth to grab a 4-2 advantage. Following a Sullivan walk, Day cranked a double off the wall in right to station a pair in scoring position. With two down, Burke stepped into the box facing a big opportunity and delivered by chopping a two-run single through the right side to boost UT to its first lead of the game.
With Elish keeping WSU's bats under wraps, the Longhorns blew the game open with a three-spot in the bottom of the fifth. A perfect one-out bunt single from Jefferson and an Ellsworth walk got things rolling. Sullivan drove her second double of the contest off the top of the wall in left to plate two for a 6-2 lead. Back-to-back singles from Day and Washington combined to bring across another as Texas took a commanding 7-2 advantage.
Faced with the opportunity to bring the run-rule into play, Texas did just that in the bottom of the sixth. Elish helped her own cause by roping a double to left to christen the assault. From there, a Hathaway walk and a Jefferson single packed the bags full of Longhorns with no one out. Following a fielder's choice, Ellsworth hit a slow roller towards short. Senior pinch runner Tuesday DerMargosian scored easily, and Jefferson hustled all the way around from second on the out to score and make it 9-2. Sullivan followed by stroking a RBI base knock up the middle to bring the contest to an early end.
vs. Maryland
After a quick one-two-three frame from O'Leary, Texas' offense exploded for a three-spot in the bottom of the first against Maryland starter Trinity Schlotterbeck. With the first two Longhorns batters on after a couple of Terrapin fielding miscues, Iakopo and Sullivan roped consecutive run-scoring doubles to blast UT in front 3-0.
Maryland managed its first base runner off O'Leary with one out in the second as shortstop Regan Kerr blooped a single just over short into shallow left center. That was all UT's 6-2 right hander would allow, however, as the Castaic, Calif., native registered her third strikeout before coercing a pop-up to second.
With UT sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker aboard, after a leadoff hit by pitch in the bottom of the second, Hathaway hammered a two-run HR down the right field line to boost UT to a 5-0 advantage. Elish followed several batters later with a two-out RBI double down the right field line to make it 6-0.
The real fireworks came in the bottom of the fourth as the Longhorns put up 11 runs on eight hits to grab a 17-0 lead. In all, 15 batters came to the plate with Elish powering the attack with a three-run HR and two-run double.
Staked to a huge advantage, O'Leary worked around a UT fielding error in the top of the fifth to finish off a one-hit shutout.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Elish, Miranda (1-0)
L: MCDONALD, E. (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: HERRING, N. 1
SH: HUECKER, K. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MCKINNEY, S. 1 ; PERRIGAN, M. 1
HBP: BUCK, R. 1
Batting:
2B: Sullivan, Colleen 2 ; Day, Courtney 1 ; Elish, Miranda 1
RBI: Ellsworth, Taylor 3 ; Sullivan, Colleen 4 ; Washington, Kaitlyn 1 ; Burke, Lauren 2
SH: Iakopo, Mary 1
SF: Ellsworth, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hathaway, Reagan 1 ; DerMargosian, Tuesday 1 ; Jefferson, Janae 3 ; Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Sullivan, Colleen 1 ; Corona, Camille 1 ; Day, Courtney 1
SB: Jefferson, Janae 2
CS: Day, Courtney 1
