No. 9/10 Softball bounces back at Iowa State

Thursday, April 6

Ames, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Texas

31-8-1, 4-3

Iowa State

12-20, 1-6

Texas

Iowa State

Photo by: Texas Athletics

04.06.2023 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

A six-run third inning sparks an eight-run win for the Longhorns over Cyclones in five innings

By: Chris Allen Brown

AMES, IA – The number five was symbolic Thursday afternoon when Mac Morgan, who wears No. 55, threw a five-inning complete game shutout in Texas' 8-0 win at Iowa State.

Following a top of the first inning that saw the Longhorns leave runners in scoring position, Morgan (11-2) took the pitching circle for the first time on the day and set down the first three Iowa State batters on just 13 pitches. She surrendered a leadoff double to begin the second but responded by retiring the next three on 10 pitches.

Morgan's effective pitching set the stage for the top of the third that saw Texas score six runs on five hits and four Iowa State errors. Viviana Martinez and Lou Gilbert had run-scoring hits in the frame with a two-run home run and a single, respectively. A fielding error allowed Ashton Maloney to score on Gilbert's hit, too. An Alyssa Washington single to right field allowed Mia Scott to score when the Cyclone right fielder overthrew her third baseman, causing the softball to go out of play.

The Longhorns added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth when Alyssa Popelka and Katie Cimusz both touched home plate.

Morgan, who struck out three, surrendered two hits and did not walk a batter on the day, capped the bottom of the fifth on just seven pitches to complete the 58-pitch complete game.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"It was great (to see everyone in the lineup get a hit this afternoon). I actually thought (Iowa State's) starting pitcher (Saya Swain) was pretty tough. She was moving the ball around and making it a little difficult for us, but we were able to battle and get those runs out there. I thought Mac Morgan pitched very efficiently today. You always worry about the rebound, coming off a tough weekend, but we were able to put that behind us pretty quickly."

GAME NOTES

Every Longhorn softball student-athlete in Thursday's starting lineup was credited with at least one hit with freshman Viviana Martinez leading the way with two base hits in three official plate appearances.
- Thursday marked the first time the Longhorns have accomplished the feat in Big 12 play this season.
- It also marked the first time this season every Texas student-athlete in the starting lineup had at least one hit.
Fellow Texas freshman Leighann Goode added to her hit season total with a double to begin the top of the fourth.
- Goode, who entered Thursday's game as the nation's hit leader among Division I freshmen student-athletes, now has a team-leading 55 hits on the season.
Thursday's five-inning pitching performance was the second five-inning complete game shutout from Mac Morgan this season.
- Morgan also tossed a five-inning, one-hit shutout against UIW in Austin on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023.
By recording a two-hit performance Thursday afternoon, Viviana Martinez now has a team-leading 16 multiple hit games: 12 (two hit) and four (three hit).
Viviana Martinez, with her two RBI against Iowa State, now has 11 multiple RBI games on the season, three more than the next closest Longhorn student-athlete.

UP NEXT

Texas (31-8-1, 4-3) will look to win its second Big 12 Conference series on the season when the Longhorns return to Cyclone Sports Complex on Friday, April 7 for a 4 PM CT contest against Iowa State (12-20, 1-6).

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