The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
12-2
Tarleton State
7-13
No. 10/11 Softball hits walk-off HR’s to run-rule both Tarleton State & Texas Southern
03.12.2021 | Softball
It’s the first time Texas posted consecutive walk-off wins on the same day since March 24, 2015, vs. UTSA
AUSTIN, Texas – On Friday afternoon at Red & Charline McCombs Field, No. 10/11 Texas Softball (13-2) blasted walk-off HR's in consecutive games while knocking off both Tarleton State (9-1, 6 inn.) and Texas Southern (11-2, 5 inn.) via run-rule.
Redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth hit a sixth-inning walk-off solo HR to left center to finish off Tarleton State in six innings, while senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes completed the victory over Texas Southern with a fifth-inning walk-off grand slam to center.
Important Notes
- The consecutive walk-offs were the first for Texas since beating Arkansas and North Dakota State in back-to-back games over Feb. 13-14, 2016. It was the first instance of consecutive walk-off wins on the same day for the Horns since sweeping a doubleheader from UTSA back on March 24, 2015.
- Sophomore first baseman Colleen Sullivan extended her streak of reaching base to a career-high 14 consecutive games to open 2021. She's hitting .625 (10-for-16) over the last seven contests with a HR and five RBIs.
- Ellsworth has also been on fire at the plate over the last seven games, batting .600 (9-for-15) with four extra-base hits, including the walk-off HR to end the game against Tarleton State, and a team-leading 10 RBIs.
- Texas improved to a perfect 9-0 at home this season and now has 498 all-time wins at McCombs Field.
- Texas has already hit 26 HR's through the first 15 games of 2021. Last season, the Longhorns hit 24 HR's over 27 contests.
- Rhodes has hit a team-leading eight HR's this year and continues at a Texas single-season HR record pace of one HR every 5.4 at-bats.
- With two combined hits on Friday, Rhodes now has 197 career hits, needing just three more to join junior second baseman Janae Jefferson in reaching the 200-career hit plateau this season.
Major Players
vs. Tarleton State: Redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth (2-for-4, run, double, HR, three RBIs); freshman shortstop Alyssa Washington (2-for-2, two runs, HR, RBI); senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes (1-for-3, run, double); junior third baseman Mary Iakopo (1-for-2, run, RBI); sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker (1-for-1, RBI)
vs. Texas Southern: Rhodes (1-for-4, three runs, grand slam, five RBIs); Iakopo (1-for-3, run, HR, two RBIs); sophomore catcher Colleen Sullivan (2-for-3, RBI); freshman right fielder Jordyn Whitaker (1-for-3, RBI); junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (1-for-3, three runs, double); Ellsworth (1-for-1, two walks, RBI)
In the Circle
vs. Tarleton State: Junior right hander Ariana Adams (2-0) picked up the win after allowing one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts over 5.0 innings. Freshman Courtney Day allowed one hit during a single frame of relief.
vs. Texas Southern: Adams improved to 3-0 overall after tossing 3.0 innings of three-hit relief with a walk and two K's. Sophomore Shea O'Leary started and tossed 2.0 frames, permitting one earned run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
The Details
vs. Tarleton State: It was Tarleton State that grabbed an early lead in Friday's opener. Following a leadoff double from right fielder Georgia Capell, first baseman Destiny Crumpley laced a two-out RBI single down the left field line to make it 1-0.
Texas answered right back against Tarleton State and starter Tristan Bridges in the bottom of the first. A Jefferson leadoff single, two hit batters and a pair of bases-loaded walks staked the Longhorns to a 2-1 lead.
The Burnt Orange & White grabbed control of the contest in the bottom of the second by batting around on the way to putting a four-spot on the scoreboard. Alyssa Washington kicked off the rally with a leadoff double, while a Mary Iakopo RBI single to left and a two-run Ellsworth double to left center did the major damage in providing Texas a 6-1 lead.
Alyssa Washington got back to work leading off the bottom of the third as the freshman shortstop cranked her third HR of the season over the wall in center to make it 7-1.
Meanwhile, for Texas in the circle, Adams was cruising along having retired eight Texan batters in a row from the second through the fourth innings.
The Horns strung together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth to boost their advantage to 8-1. Day got things going by beating out an infield single to third and moving to second on a throwing error. Parker stepped into the box and blasted the first pitch from reliever Makenzie Dunbar up the middle for a RBI.
Adams made it 11 straight retired in the top of the fifth before being lifted for Day to start the sixth. The reliever allowed a one-out single through the right side from center fielder Hallie Saintignan, but nothing else as Texas maintained its seven-run lead.
Ellsworth then brought the game to an early end by run-rule in the bottom of the sixth as the Georgetown, Texas, native blasted her second HR of the season to left center to finalize a 9-1 (6 inn.) win.
vs. Texas Southern: After Texas Southern left two stranded in the top of the first, Texas got the first two aboard in the bottom half.
Jefferson began the outburst by reaching on an error and Rhodes got on via a failed fielder's choice play to second. With both in scoring position after a double steal, Sullivan lifted a fly ball to right. Texas Southern's Pamela Richardson moved in to make the catch but airmailed her throw to the plate allowing Jefferson to trot home for a 1-0 lead. Following an Ellsworth walk, Whitaker delivered a RBI single to center allowing Rhodes to cross with the second unearned run of the frame and make it 2-0.
The Tigers strung together a two-out outburst to tie things up in the top of the second. With two on through a walk and a hit batter, TSU second baseman Crimson Davis slapped a high-chopper on the infield. The ball was corralled, but the throw to first had to be rushed and was errant as both Texas Southern runners raced around to tie the game at 2-2.
The Burnt Orange & White bats got rolling in the bottom of the second. After an Alyssa Washington base knock and a Jefferson double off the wall in left, Rhodes chopped a bouncer to short that was misplayed allowing Jefferson to score from 60-feet away. Sullivan and Ellsworth then contributed RBI singles to boost the advantage to 5-2.
With Adams holding things down from the circle in relief, Texas made it 7-2 as Iakopo crushed a two-run shot into the parking lot well beyond the McCombs Field wall in left.
Texas Southern tried to get something started with two outs in the top of the fifth as left fielder Julia Bilbao and shortstop Ja'Lynn Swiney managed consecutive singles. Catcher Abri Ford came to the dish and bounced a promising ball up the middle. Texas' Jefferson ranged over from her defensive position at second and somehow made a quick scoop before diving on the second-base bag for an inning-ending force out.
From there, the end came quickly as the Longhorns loaded the bases for Rhodes. The Fort Worth, Texas, native walked things off via run-rule by launching a towering grand slam to left center as UT prevailed, 11-2 (5 inn.).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adams, Ariana (2-0)
L: Bridges, T. (2-6)
Batting:
2B: Capell, G. 1
RBI: Crumpley, D. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Capell, G. 1
Batting:
2B: Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Washington, Alyssa 1
HR: Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Washington, Alyssa 1
RBI: Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Burke, Lauren 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 3 ; Whitaker, Jordyn 1 ; Washington, Alyssa 1 ; Parker, McKenzie 1
SH: Sullivan, Colleen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Sullivan, Colleen 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Burke, Lauren 1 ; Ellsworth, Taylor 1 ; Day, Courtney 1 ; Washington, Alyssa 2
SB: Popelka, Alyssa 1
HBP: Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Burke, Lauren 1
