No. 7/8 Softball secures White’s 100th Texas win with 11-5 victory at Iowa State

Saturday, April 10

Ames, Iowa

1 p.m. CT

University of Texas

30-3, 5-0

Iowa State

23-13, 0-8

Texas

Iowa State

No. 7/8 Softball secures White’s 100th Texas win with 11-5 victory at Iowa State

04.10.2021 | Softball

Box Score

Junior All-American second baseman Janae Jefferson blasted a career-high two HR’s during the triumph

AMES, Iowa – On Saturday afternoon at the Cyclone Sports Complex, junior second baseman Janae Jefferson's first career two-HR game, and a 12-hit team offensive outburst, helped guide No. 7/8 Texas softball (30-3, 5-0 Big 12 Conference) to an 11-5 win at Iowa State (23-13, 0-8 Big 12 Conference) while securing Longhorns head coach Mike White his 100th career Texas victory.

Important Notes

The win was the 100th of head coach Mike White's Texas career. He now owns a record of 100-23 (.813) over his three years in charge of the Longhorns softball program.
Texas has now started 5-0 in Big 12 Conference play for the first time since 2018 and for only the eighth time in program history (2002, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021).
Jefferson's two-HR effort marked the first multi-HR game of her career and doubled her career HR total in a single day to four HR's overall.
With two more hits, Jefferson now has 239 in her career. The Humble, Texas, native needs just 16 more to break former Longhorns standout Brejae Washington's (2011-14) career mark of 254 hits.
Texas is currently riding a season-long 13-game winning streak dating back to March 19.
With three more HR's on Saturday against the Cyclones, Texas has now hit multiple HR's in a game on 16 separate occasions this season.
At 30-3, Texas is tied with the 2006 & 2011 Longhorns for the second-best 33-game start in school history.
Texas has now scored at least three runs in an inning 47 times in 2021 and at least once in 25-of-33 games.
Sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker's HR was her career-best fourth of the season, In all, six different Longhorns have hit four-or-more HR's during 2021.
Texas extended its series advantage over the Cyclones to 58-4, including 26-0 all-time in Ames.

Major Players

Junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (2-for-5, two runs, two HR's, three RBIs); sophomore shortstop McKenzie Parker (3-for-4, three runs, double, HR, RBI); senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes (2-for-5, three RBIs); junior designated player Lauren Burke (2-for-4, run, two RBIs); redshirt junior right fielder Taylor Ellsworth (1-for-3, RBI); freshman third baseman Bree Cantu (0-for-1, run, two walks, RBI)

In the Circle

Graduate transfer Molly Jacobsen improved to 12-2 overall after allowing four earned runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts over 4.0 innings. Junior Ariana Adams permitted one earned run on two hits with a walk in 1.0 frame of relief, while freshman Ryleigh White struck out two and scattered four hits over 2.0 innings out of the bullpen.

The Details

Jefferson utilized the long ball to boost Texas to the lead right from the start on Saturday as the two-time All-American drove the third pitch of the game from ISU starter Ellie Spelhaug out to left center for a 1-0 lead.

The Longhorns quickly loaded the bases with no outs in the second on a Burke single through the right side, a Kaitlyn Washington base knock up the middle and a Cantu walk. With one down, Rhodes hit a chopper to short that plated Burke from 60 feet away with UT's second run of the contest.

With Jacobsen limiting the Cyclones to just one base runner over the opening two frames, Texas' offense got to work adding five more runs in the top of the third. Ellsworth followed up an Iakopo walk and a Parker double to left center by driving a RBI single to left. Cantu added a bases-loaded walk to force in another. Jefferson was credited with a RBI on a groundout to first, and Rhodes bounced a two-run single up the middle to boost the Longhorns advantage to 7-0.

Iowa State started clawing away at its deficit in the bottom of the third as first baseman Carli Spelhaug hit a two-run shot to left to make it 7-2.

Parker answered back for the Longhorns in the fourth by launching her fourth HR of the season out to left.

The Cyclones cut the gap to 8-4 during their half of the fourth on a Kasey Simpson RBI double and a run-scoring fielder's choice.

Facing Texas' Adams in relief in the fifth, ISU managed an RBI single off the bat of left fielder Alesia Ranches to make it 8-5. The Cyclones had runners at the corners with two outs, but designated player Sarah Tyree fouled out to third to limit the damage.

Down the stretch, the Burnt Orange & White strung together some valuable insurance. Burke delivered first with a two-RBI single to right in the sixth, while Jefferson blasted her second HR of the contest during the seventh to stretch the UT advantage out to 11-5.

With one final chance to battle back into the contest in the bottom of the seventh, the Cyclones loaded the bases against White with no outs on three straight singles. The 6-1 freshman reliever fought her way out of trouble, however, by inducing a fly out to center before getting Tyree to ground into a 4-6-3 game-ending double play.