The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#10/11 Oregon
No. 11/13 Softball tops No. 10/11 Oregon to win the NCAA Austin Regional
05.24.2021 | Softball
After losing Sunday’s opener (3-2 in 8 inn.), the Longhorns won the deciding game over the Ducks, 1-0
AUSTIN, Texas – On a Sunday that included a five-plus-hour rain delay and an eventual finishing time of 1:16 a.m. CT, No. 11/13 Texas softball (42-12) rallied after dropping its regional championship round opener to No. 10/11 Oregon (40-17), 3-2 (8 inn.), to win the deciding match-up over the Ducks and advance on to NCAA Super Regionals, 1-0.
The No. 12-national seed Longhorns will now head to Stillwater, Okla., over Fri.-Sun., May 28-30, to battle No. 5-national seed Oklahoma State in the super regional round for a trip to the annual Women's College World Series.
Important Notes
- Texas has now won seven of the nine NCAA Austin Regionals it has hosted all-time (2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021).
- Combining his stints at both Oregon and Texas, Mike White has now reached at least the NCAA Super Regional round in every year of his head coaching career (there was no 2020 NCAA Tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
- The regional title was the eighth for the Longhorns in program history, while Texas also improved to 45-29 all-time in NCAA Regional play.
- Graduate transfer pitcher Molly Jacobsen fired both her second complete-game shutout of May and of her Texas career during the decisive game against the Ducks.
- Junior second baseman Janae Jefferson led the Longhorns during the NCAA Austin Regional by hitting .538 (7-for-13) with two doubles and three RBIs.
- The Longhorns secured their 30th home win of the year, tying the 2012 Longhorns for the second-most home wins in a single-season in program history. The all-time record of 32 was set by the 2006 Texas squad.
- With Sunday's efforts, the 2021 Longhorns moved up to second all-time in the single-season team record book in runs scored (361), RBIs (333) and total bases (815).
- Texas improved to 30-2 this season when scoring first in a contest.
Major Players
Game 1: Junior second baseman Janae Jefferson (2-for-3, walk, double, RBI); freshman pinch hitter Courtney Day (1-for-1, triple, RBI); freshman pinch hitter Jordyn Whitaker (1-for-1)
Game 2: Whitaker (1-for-1, RBI); senior center fielder Shannon Rhodes (2-for-3); junior left fielder Lauren Burke (1-for-3, run); redshirt junior right fielder Taylor Ellsworth (1-for-2)
In the Circle
Game 1: Sophomore Shea O'Leary (15-5) suffered a complete-game loss in the opener against the Ducks, allowing three earned runs on 11 hits with four walks and five K's.
Game 2: Jacobsen (14-5) was electric from the circle in tossing a complete-game shutout, scattering five hits while walking one and striking out two.
The Details
Game 1: Oregon threatened immediately with one out in the bottom of the first as right fielder Haley Cruse and catcher Terra McGowan each singled through the left side. O'Leary battled her way out of trouble by inducing a pop-up before catching left fielder Hannah Delgado looking at a called strike three.
After Texas left two stranded in the top of the second, UO grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom half as shortstop Alyssa Brito hit a solo HR to left.
UO seriously threatened in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with two outs on a pair of singles and a hit batter. O'Leary again danced her way out of danger by getting Brito to fly out harmlessly to center.
The Ducks added to their advantage by stringing together a two-out rally in the fourth. Following a Shaye Bowden walk and a Cruse single, second baseman Allee Bunker blooped a base knock just over a leaping Jefferson and into right field for a RBI and a 2-0 Ducks advantage.
After threatening more than once, the Longhorns finally got on the board through their own two-out rally in the top of the fifth. Freshman third baseman Camille Corona got it started by hustling down the line to beat out a bunt single up the third-base line. Jefferson stepped to the plate facing a huge spot and laced a RBI double to the wall in left center to the cut the UT deficit in half at 2-1.
With one last chance in regulation, Texas strung together a game-tying rally in the top of the seventh. With two down, Whitaker came to the dish as a pinch hitter and delivered by driving a single through the left side. That set the stage for fellow pinch hitter Day's heroics as the Pearland, Texas, product blasted a towering triple to center, scoring pinch runner MK Tedder to dead-lock the contest at 2-2.
Oregon threatened to walk things off by putting two on in the bottom of the seventh, but would have to wait until the eighth to complete its win. Cruse started the decisive outburst with a double that dropped just inside the line to right. After a walk to second baseman Allee Bunker, McGowan ended things on a RBI single to deep right.
Game 2: The decisive game two quickly devolved into a pitcher's duel between Jacobsen and Oregon's Samaria Diaz as each team left a combined two base runners stranded over the opening three innings.
It was Oregon that managed the first serious threat during the top of the fourth as McGowan and left fielder Hannah Delgado singled to station Ducks at the corners with one out. That's when the UT "D" stepped up as Corona handled a hot shot to third, tagged McGowan straying too far off third and fired a strike to first for an inning-ending double play.
Texas then scratched together what turned out to be the only run of the contest in the bottom of the fourth. Burke started the decisive rally with a single through the right side and moved to second with two down on an Ellsworth bouncer to second. That advancement proved huge as Whitaker stepped up as a pinch hitter and drove a RBI single to right for a 1-0 advantage.
The Ducks got the leadoff on again to begin the fifth as right fielder Ariel Carlson walked. Again the Texas defense proved up to the task as Corona started a 5-4-3 double play to conclude another frame.
Texas looked to add some valuable insurance in the bottom of the fifth as singles from Jefferson and Rhodes, and a stolen base, put two in scoring position with two down for the Horns. Unfortunately, a bouncer to short was handled by UO's Alyssa Brito and tossed across the diamond just in time to leave the duo stranded.
Still trailing by one, Oregon strung together one final scoring opportunity in the top of the seventh. Third baseman Rachel Cid came within feet of tying things up leading off the inning as her drive to right center rattled off the top of the wall for a loud double. Delgado followed with a single to short, and suddenly the Ducks had runners at the corners with no one out. Jacobsen and the Texas defense refused to break, however, as a strikeout and consecutive grounders to Corona at third completed the Longhorns victory.
NCAA Austin Regional Schedule
Fri., May 21
4 p.m. CT Saint Francis (PA) (40-8) vs. TEXAS (39-11) – TEXAS, 12-0 (5 inn.)
6:30 p.m. CT Texas State (38-12) vs. Oregon (37-15) – Texas State, 5-1
Sat., May 22
4 p.m. CT TEXAS (40-11) vs. Texas State (Game Three) – TEXAS, 6-0
6:30 p.m. CT Oregon vs. Saint Francis (Game Four) – Oregon, 7-0
9 p.m. CT Oregon vs. Texas State (Game Five) – Oregon, 2-0
Sun., May 23
8:08 p.m. CT TEXAS (41-11) vs. Oregon (Game Six) – Oregon, 3-2 (8 inn.)
11:20 p.m. CT Oregon vs. TEXAS (41-12) (Game Seven) – TEXAS, 1-0
