The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
4-0
Sam Houston State
1-2
No. 7 Softball improves to 5-0 with wins over Sam Houston State & Lamar
02.26.2021 | Softball
Junior second baseman Janae Jefferson picked up her 200th career hit during the win over the Cardinals
AUSTIN, Texas – On Friday afternoon in Lone Star State Invitational action at Red & Charline McCombs Field, No. 7 Texas softball improved to 5-0 to open 2021 by registering victories over Sam Houston State (9-3) and Lamar (10-0, 5 inn.).
Important Notes
- With a first-inning leadoff single against Lamar, junior second baseman Janae Jefferson became the 11th Longhorns player to reach the 200-career hit plateau.
- The Longhorns hit .368 as a team over the two games while out-scoring their opponents, 19-3.
- The Longhorns scored in the first inning against both SHSU & Lamar. UT is now 4-0 this season and 30-4 overall since the arrival of head coach Mike White when registering a first-inning tally.
- UT is now 64-9 since the start of the 2019 campaign when out-hitting an opponent (out-hit Lamar, 12-2).
- Junior third baseman Mary Iakopo blasted her 24th and 25th career HR's on Friday (No. 16 & 17 of her time at Texas).
- Junior pitcher Ariana Adams struck out a career-high seven batters in tossing a two-hit, complete-game shutout over Lamar (10-0, 5 inn.).
- Texas is now 17-2 all-time against Sam Houston State and 4-1 all-time against Lamar.
- Freshman first baseman JJ Smith registered her first two collegiate doubles against Lamar, and freshman right fielder Jordyn Whitaker blasted her first collegiate HR during the win over Sam Houston State.
Major Players
vs. Sam Houston State: Senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes (1-for-2, two runs, walk, double, three RBIs); junior first baseman Lauren Burke (1-for-2, two RBIs); Whitaker (2-for-4, two runs, HR, RBI); Iakopo (1-for-3, HR, RBI); freshman shortstop Brianna Cantu (1-for-1, two runs).
vs. Lamar: Smith (3-for-3, two doubles, RBI); Iakopo (1-for-1, walk, three-run HR);. Whitaker (2-for-3, two RBIs); redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth (1-for-3, double, RBI); Cantu (1-for-1, walk, run, RBI).
In the Circle
vs. Sam Houston State: Freshman Ryleigh White started and recorded her first collegiate victory by allowing one earned run on five hits with two K's over 4.0 innings. Rookie Courtney Day managed her first career save in three innings of two-hit relief while allowing one earned run, walking four and K'ing a pair.
vs. Lamar: Adams was outstanding in the circle for the Horns, tossing a complete-game, two-hit shutout with a career-high seven strikeouts.
The Details
vs. Sam Houston State: The Bearkats got something started against White in the top of the first as two infield singles, including one that deflected off the pitcher's glove, and a failed fielder's choice play loaded the bags with two down. White soon battled her way out of the jam, however, by getting SHSU second baseman Courtney White to fly out harmlessly to left.
Texas wasted no time stringing together a threat of its own during the bottom of the first as Jefferson and Rhodes drew consecutive walks to start the frame. Sam Houston State pitcher Taylor Bachmeyer almost escaped the danger, but an error at on a Kaitlyn Washington bouncer to second allowed Rhodes to score all the way from second to hand the Horns a 1-0 lead.
The Horns eventually got to Bachmeyer with two outs in the bottom of the second. After a Whitaker leadoff single and a two-out Jefferson walk, Rhodes stepped to the dish and drove a two-run double off the wall in right. Three straight walks to Burke, sophomore catcher Colleen Sullivan and Kaitlyn Washington forced home another tally as the Longhorns lead expanded to 4-0.
Sam Houston State eventually got on the scoreboard with some Texas assistance in the top of the third. With runners at first and second and two retired, a Courtney White bouncer was misplayed on the Texas infield for an error. In an attempt to cut down the lead runner at third, a throw proved errant as right fielder Sheridan Fisher scored to cut the Bearkat deficit to 4-1.
Whitaker kicked off another Texas outburst with a leadoff infield single to christen the bottom of the third. From there, UT utilized a two-run Rhodes double and a bases-loaded Kaitlyn Washington walk to boost the advantage to 7-1.
In the fourth, the Bearkats added a tally on a perfect RBI bunt single from pinch hitter Kayte Martinez, while Iakopo followed in the bottom half by blasting her first HR of the season for Texas. Burke later contributed a fifth-inning RBI single to expand the Longhorns lead to 9-2.
Needing three outs to register her first collegiate save, Day ran into a little trouble in the top of the seventh. She allowed a walk and a RBI double to open the frame as SHSU cut its deficit to 9-3. That was all the Bearkats could string together, however, as a foul out down the third-base line finalized UT's win.
vs. Lamar: With two Longhorns aboard in the first inning against Lamar via Jefferson's 200th career hit and a fielding error, Iakopo set an immediate Texas offensive tone by crushing a three-run HR to left.
Already leading 3-0, and with Adams cruising through the opening two frames to the tune of four strikeouts, the Burnt Orange & White added three more runs in the second to make it 6-0 on RBIs singles from Cantu and Whitaker as well as a successful double steal.
In the bottom of the fourth, UT eventually blew things wide open by sending 10 batters to the plate while scoring four times to make it 10-0. During the outburst, Whitaker and Smith each contributed RBI singles, while Ellsworth launched a RBI double to the wall in left.
Needing at least three runs to avoid the run-rule, Lamar got a pair of two-out base runners because of Texas errors in the top of the fifth. That was all against Adams, though, as a bouncer back to the circle completed a 10-0 triumph.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adams, Ariana (1-0)
L: Reyna, B. (0-5)
Batting:
2B: Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Smith, JJ 2
HR: Iakopo, Mary 1
RBI: Iakopo, Mary 3 ; Whitaker, Jordyn 2 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Smith, JJ 1 ; Cantu, Brianna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Ratcliff, Carlee 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Tedder, MK 1 ; Popelka, Alyssa 1 ; Day, Courtney 1 ; Smith, JJ 1 ; Cantu, Brianna 1 ; Parker, McKenzie 1
SB: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Tedder, MK 1 ; Cantu, Brianna 2 ; Parker, McKenzie 1
