No. 10/11 Softball splits Thursday doubleheader with No. 15 Louisiana

Thursday, March 18

Austin, Texas

4 p.m. CT

University of Texas

17-2

#15 Louisiana - GM 1

13-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Louisiana	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2
Texas	0	0	2	0	0	2	X	4	7	1

No. 10/11 Softball splits Thursday doubleheader with No. 15 Louisiana

03.18.2021 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Longhorns blanked the Ragin’ Cajuns in game one (4-0) before falling in the nightcap (10-9)

AUSTIN, Texas – On Thursday evening at Red & Charline McCombs Field, No. 10/11 Texas softball (17-3) split its high-profile doubleheader against No. 15 Louisiana (14-5), winning game one, 4-0, before seeing its late comeback bid fall short in the nightcap, 10-9.

Important Notes

The Longhorns hit .346 as a team during the doubleheader against No. 15 Louisiana with junior catcher Mary Iakopo leading the charge at .500 (3-for-6) to go with her ninth HR of the year and four RBIs.
Louisiana continues to lead the all-time series over Texas, 12-7, but the Longhorns now hold a 3-2 advantage in match-ups at McCombs Field.
Texas out-hit Louisiana in game one and now owns a perfect 14-0 record this season when putting up more hits than its opponent.
Sophomore Shea O'Leary tossed her second shutout of the season in the 4-0 opening win over the Ragin' Cajuns.
Texas is 2-2 in one-run games this season with its defeats coming at No. 13 LSU (2-1, 8 inn.) and to No. 15 Louisiana (10-9).
Texas was undone in game two by four unearned Ragin' Cajun runs, two in the first inning and two more in the third frame.

Major Players

Game 1: Iakopo (2-for-3, two RBIs); junior first baseman Lauren Burke (1-for-3, HR, RBI); sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker (1-for-3, run, RBI)

Game 2: Iakopo (1-for-3, two runs, walk, two RBIs); sophomore first baseman Colleen Sullivan (1-for-4, two RBIs); junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (2-for-2, two runs, double, RBI); freshman pinch hitter JJ Smith (1-for-1, two RBIs); senior left fielder Kaitlyn Washington (2-for-3, run, RBI).

In the Circle

Game 1: O'Leary (3-0) tossed a complete-game gem, scattering five hits, walking one and striking out five over 7.0 innings.

Game 2: Graduate transfer Molly Jacobsen (6-2) took the loss after allowing just two earned runs on five hits with one walk and three K's in 2.2 frames. Freshman Ryleigh White struck out four and permitted one earned run on three hits over 3.1 innings of relief.

The Details

Game 1: With O'Leary limiting Louisiana to a single base runner in each of the first three innings (walk, infield single and an error), Texas' offense finally got untracked against UL starter Kandra Lamb in the bottom of the third.

The outburst got underway as Parker reached on a fielding error to second to open the frame. From there, an Alyssa Popelka bunt single and a Shannon Rhodes hit-by-pitch loaded the bases. With two retired, Iakopo stepped into the box and lined a two-RBI single into right center for a 2-0 lead.

Jefferson came through with perhaps the defensive play of the year so far starting off the Louisiana fourth as the Humble, Texas, native dove fully extended to her right to snag a liner off the bat of UL shortstop Jade Gortarez. That play proved run-saving just one batter later as catcher Julie Rawls tripled off the wall in right. O'Leary eventually got out of the jam with some more defensive help as Parker handled a bouncer and cut down a runner at the plate to keep the Ragin' Cajuns off the board.

UL got the lead off on in the top of the sixth as center fielder Ciara Bryan ripped a single up the middle. UT's 6-2 hurler was again up to the task as she retired the next three batters in order to maintain the shutout.

Texas went on to add two valuable insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth as Burke blasted her third HR of the season out to right center, while Parker later added an RBI single to center to make it 4-0.

O'Leary ran into a little trouble trying to finish out the seventh as Louisiana managed consecutive one-out singles. Again her defense backed her up as a bouncer to third was corralled by Bree Cantu. The UT freshman stepped on the third-base bag and fired across the diamond for a game-ending double play.

Game 2: Game two was the polar opposite of the doubleheader opener as the teams combined for 19 runs on 24 total hits.

Louisiana jumped to an early 2-0 lead off Jacobsen as a key Texas error that extended the inning led to two unearned runs on Alissa Dalton's two-RBI single.

The Longhorns answered right back with an unearned run of their own in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff Jefferson double and a sac bunt, Iakopo hit a bouncer to third that was misplayed to allow Texas to cut its deficit to 2-1. It was almost more but redshirt junior designated player Taylor Ellsworth's inning-ending blast to deep left was knocked down by winds gusting as high as 30 mph and caught right against the wall.

It appeared that the Burnt Orange & White had taken control of the contest in the bottom of the second by scoring three times on four hits to nab a 4-2 advantage. Jefferson contributed a RBI single, while Sullivan lined a two-RBI base knock up the middle.

The defense would fail the Longhorns again in the top of the third as a pair of errors led to two more unearned runs in a four-tally outburst. First, a misplay on a bouncer loaded the bases full of Ragin' Cajuns with no outs. Catcher Julie Rawls came to the plate and hit a routine single to the outfield. Unfortunately, while charging the ball, a Texas outfielder had the ball roll under her glove and all the way to the wall to clear the bases. Bryan's two-out RBI single soon boosted the UL lead to 6-4.

The Louisiana advantage eventually expanded to 9-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth. That's when Texas began to mount its comeback attempt.

Iakopo soon cut the UT gap to 9-6 by blasting her ninth HR out 250 feet to straightaway center.

UL responded with what eventually turned into the game-winning run in the top of the sixth as Rawls came through with a RBI single to center to make it 10-6. It could have been more, but Texas' outfield was credited with its second run-saving outfield assist of the game as a Popelka to Alyssa Washington to Sullivan relay cut down Dalton trying to score from first.

With two outs and the bases packed full of Longhorns in the bottom of the sixth, Smith was summoned off the bench to pinch hit and drove a two-RBI single up the middle. Unfortunately, Popelka was thrown out on the play while trying to advance to third, and a double play later ended the threat with no further damage.

Still trailing 10-8 in the bottom of the seventh, Texas got the first two on to start the frame as Iakopo and Burke drew back-to-back walks. Kaitlyn Washington pulled UT within a single run on a sacrifice fly to center. Unfortunately, that was a close as the Horns could get as a fly out to left ended the late comeback bid.