No. 11/9 Softball redeems Friday’s heartbreaker with dominant Sunday outing

Sunday, March 19

Tampa, Fla.

12:30 p.m.

University of Texas

26-5-1

USF

19-15

Texas

South Florida

Photo by: Texas Athletics

No. 11/9 Softball redeems Friday’s heartbreaker with dominant Sunday outing

03.19.2023 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

As left-handed pitcher Estelle Czech flirts with first career no-hitter, Texas beats host USF to conclude South Florida Showdown

By: Chris Allen Brown

TAMPA, FL – As Texas took a six-run lead into the bottom of the seventh during its 6-1 win over South Florida on Sunday afternoon, Estelle Czech — along with everyone inside USF's Softball Stadium — knew what was happening.

Czech, the Longhorns' junior left-handed pitcher, had not allowed a base hit through the game's first six frames. The only Bull baserunner to that point came via a four-pitch walk to open the top of the third. The runner was erased two pitches later on a fielder's choice.

Czech, then, settled and went on to retire the next 11 consecutive batters until USF's Tieley Vaughn sent the third pitch of the bottom of the seventh over the left field fence for a solo home run. Alyssa Rano, a pinch hitter, followed with a single up the middle on a 2-1 count. But Czech responded from the back-to-back hits by getting the game's final three outs on just 10 pitches.

On the afternoon, Czech (7-2) tossed 84 pitches to 24 different South Florida batters and surrendered just the two runs, one walk, one run and struck out five. She induced nine flyouts and eight groundouts throughout the game's seven innings.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"I thought (Estelle) was just able to spot the ball, which was really great. You want to work on the outside corner and then bust them inside with some jams and use the off speed when you have to. She was just in control the whole day. Unfortunately, she gave up those two hits late, but she was able to settle down and close the game out."

FROM JUNIOR PITCHER ESTELLE CZECH

"I thought everything was working for me in the (pitching) circle today. I really just wanted to stay calm and stay loose today — that was a big key for me — that and being able to spin the ball loosely and not tight. If I start trying to be tight, I start forcing the ball and that doesn't end well."

GAME NOTES

Leighann Goode turned in her fourth career four-hit game Sunday afternoon as the San Antonio native finished Texas' win with a 4-for-4 performance out of the leadoff spot in the Longhorn lineup.
- Goode is the only Longhorn softball student-athlete with two four-hit games this season.
  - In fact, Goode is the only Texas softball student-athlete to have at least one four-hit game on the year.
With her first-inning single, Reese Atwood extended her career-long hitting streak to nine games.
- Atwood's current nine-game hitting streak is the third longest hitting streak by a Texas softball student-athlete this season.
  - Freshmen Viviana Martinez and Leighann Goode both have separate 10-game hitting streaks this season.
With her run-scoring single through the left side in the top of the sixth inning, Mia Scott extended her team-leading on-base streak to 12 consecutive games.
- Reese Atwood is next behind Scott with a nine-game on-base streak.
With her solo home run in the top of the third inning, Reese Atwood will enter Wednesday night's non-conference game against Stephen F. Austin having hit one home run in back-to-back games.

UP NEXT

With its final non-conference round-robin tournament weekend in the rear-view mirror, Texas (26-5-1) will now turn its attention to a mid-week non-conference matchup against Stephen F. Austin (14-11) at 6 PM CT on Wednesday, March 22.
- Following the game against the Lumberjacks, the Longhorns will open Big 12 Conference play against Texas Tech at 4:30 PM CT on Friday, March 24.
  - The two conference foes will tangle, again, on Saturday (12 PM) and Sunday (12 PM) as well.

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