The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#13/12 LSU - GM 1
No. 7 Softball drops both ends of a Saturday doubleheader at No. 13/12 LSU
03.06.2021 | Softball
Texas returns to action on Wed., March 10, at McCombs Field against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6 p.m. CT)
BATON ROUGE, La. – On Saturday evening at Tiger Park, No. 7 Texas Softball (10-2) dropped both ends of a doubleheader to No. 13/12 LSU (13-6) by scores of 2-1 (8 inn.) & 7-2.
Important Notes
- Sophomore first baseman Colleen Sullivan extended her streak of reaching base to a career-high-tying 11 consecutive games to open 2021.
- Sullivan led the team during the three-game series at LSU by hitting .667 (6-for-9) with a double, her first Texas career HR and four RBIs.
- The consecutive losses marked the first for the Horns since dropping three straight games from May 10-17, 2019, a stretch of 44 games.
Major Players
Game 1: Sophomore first baseman Colleen Sullivan (2-for-3, run, HR, RBI); redshirt junior catcher Taylor Ellsworth (1-for-3); senior left fielder Kaitlyn Washington (1-for-3)
Game 2: Sullivan (2-for-4, RBI); freshman pinch hitter JJ Smith (1-for-1, run); junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (1-for-4, run)
In the Circle
Game 1: Graduate transfer Molly Jacobsen (4-1) suffered a tough loss after allowing one earned run on six hits with four strikeouts over 7.1 innings of work.
Game 2: Freshman right hander Ryleigh White (3-1) took the defeat after permitting five earned runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout over 1.1 frames. In relief, freshman Courtney Day allowed one earned run on two hits with a walk and K in 2.2 innings of relief, while junior Ariana Adams permitted one earned run on three hits over 2.0 frames.
The Details
Game 1: Texas missed a golden opportunity to nab a second-inning lead as the Longhorns left a pair of runners in scoring position. With Sullivan on via error and Ellsworth aboard on a high-chopped single over third, Kaitlyn Washington grounded a single through the left side. Sullivan rounded third, but was cut down at the plate on a solid throw by LSU's Ciara Briggs. A bouncer to left ended the threat with no damage.
LSU got its first base runner starting the bottom of the second as pitcher Shelbi Sunseri singled up the middle. Pinch runner Taryn Antoine was inserted into the contest to run at first but was promptly picked off by Texas catcher Ellsworth to wipe the bases clean.
Sullivan put the Longhorns on the board with two outs in the top of the fourth by blasting her first Texas HR over the wall in left center to make it 1-0.
The Tigers nearly answered right back in the bottom of the fourth as shortstop Taylor Pleasants launched a shot to center. Rhodes quickly raced back to the wall and leapt to steal a HR while maintaining Texas' slim advantage.
LSU designated player Danieca Coffey broke up a string of 13 straight Tigers retired by Jacobsen by driving a two-out double to right center with two down in the sixth. Center fielder Aliyah Andrews followed immediately by stepping into the box and slapping a single to shallow center, plating Coffey to tie the contest at 1-1.
With LSU having a chance to walk things off, Sunseri and pinch hitter Raeleen Gutierrez christened the seventh with back-to-back one-out singles. Jacobsen responded from the circle by striking out left fielder Ciara Briggs for a big out number two. Newly entered into the contest at third, freshman Bree Cantu then extended fully to her left to snag a Morgan Cummins liner to end the threat and send the game to extras.
After Texas went down in order in the eighth, LSU got the leadoff on to start the bottom half as second baseman Taylor Tidwell was hit by a pitch. With one on via K, Andrews stepped up and laced a single to left. The ball got under the glove of a charging UT outfielder as pinch runner Akiya Thymes raced around from first to finalize a 2-1, extra-inning win.
Game 2: After Texas left two aboard in the top of the first, LSU struck for a pair of runs in the bottom half. With a Tiger runner on and two outs, White appeared to have struck out designated player Shelbi Sunseri swinging to end the frame, but the home plate umpire raced out signaling for an illegal pitch. On the very next White offering, Sunseri hit a two-run HR over the wall in left to make it 2-0.
The Horns left on base count grew to four after two innings as a leadoff Ellsworth walk and a Lauren Burke single couldn't be cashed in. LSU wasted little time adding to their advantage in the bottom half as a hit batter, a walk and an Andrews single to center combined to plate another run. Following a pitching change, LSU shortstop Taylor Pleasants hit a two-RBI double off the wall in left for a 5-0 lead.
Andrews raised the LSU advantage to six in the bottom of the fourth by driving a solo HR off the scoreboard in right.
Rhodes came close to getting the Longhorns on the board with one aboard in the top of the fifth, but her towering drive to center was caught at the wall by Andrews.
Texas freshman pinch hitter JJ Smith got the Longhorns started with one out in the sixth by lining a single to center. Ellsworth came to the dish with two down and hit a grounder to short. Pleasants fielded the ball and threw wide of second as Smith raced all the way around to score to cut UT's deficit to 6-1.
The Tigers got the run right back in the bottom of the sixth, however, as catcher Cait Calland drove a solo HR to left.
With UT down 7-1, sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker granted the Horns some life by chopping a one-out single through the right side. Jefferson stepped into the box and followed immediately with a lined base knock up the middle. Following a fielder's choice, Sullivan lined a RBI single off the wall in left center to cut the gap to 7-2. Unfortunately, that was as close as Texas could get as a swinging strikeout ended the contest.
