No. 9/10 Softball clinches second conference series of the season

Friday, April 7

Ames, Iowa

4 p.m.

University of Texas

32-8-1, 5-3

Iowa State

12-21, 1-7

Texas

Iowa State

Photo by: Texas Athletics

No. 9/10 Softball clinches second conference series of the season

04.07.2023 | Softball

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Fueled by Estelle Czech and Vanessa Quiroga, Texas beats Iowa State by seven runs to win weekend series

By: Chris Allen Brown

AMES, IA – A day after Mac Morgan dominated Iowa State, Estelle Czech stepped into the pitching circle and picked up where Morgan left off as the Longhorn left-handed pitcher tossed a complete game in Texas' 8-1 win on Friday afternoon.

It was Czech's team-leading five complete game on the season as the Illinois native limited the Cyclone offense to only two hits — both singles — and one unearned run while striking out five and issuing two walks on 99 pitches. She also threw complete games against Illinois (Feb. 12), Omaha (Feb. 18), McNeese (March 4) and South Florida (March 19) this season.

Czech's performance was sparked by a two-run top of the first. After Iowa State plated a two-out, unearned run in the bottom of the first, Alyssa Washington extended the Longhorns' lead to three runs with a two-run home run in the top of the third.

Three innings later, Vanessa Quiroga, in her first start on the season, added two more runs for the visitors with a two-out, opposite-field home run, marking the sophomore's second home run on the season and first away from Red & Charline McCombs Field. In the seventh, Reese Atwood scored Washington and Mia Scott with a single to right-centerfield to help the Longhorns score eight runs for the second consecutive game against the Cyclones.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"I thought today's success started with Estelle Czech out there on the pitching rubber. I thought she did a good job. Again, we were able to get ahead and build on that lead. There was a little unfortunate miscue there, but other than that, we fielded the ball well. But I was just pleased with Estelle's complete game."

FROM SOPHOMORE VANESSA QUIROGA

"(On that home run), I was just trying to stay on time and just put good contact on something. I wasn't really trying to do too much. I was just looking for a good pitch to hit.

GAME NOTES

With Alyssa Washington's third-inning home run, the Texas offense has now hit at least one home run in all eight conference games this season.
- The last time the Longhorns hit multiple home runs in a conference game occurred on Sunday, March 26, 2023, when Katie Cimusz and Courtney Day both hit two-run home runs in the series finale against Texas Tech.
Texas' three stolen bases on Friday marked the most by the Longhorns in a conference game this season.
Friday's eight runs against Iowa State marked the first time since Sunday, March 5 against Louisiana (8) and Wednesday, March 8 at UTA (12) that Texas has scored eight-or-more runs in back-to-back games this season.
- The offensive performance also marked the first time Texas has scored eight-or-more runs in back-to-back conference games since March 26 (9) and 27 (11) against Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.
By scoring three runs on the afternoon, Alyssa Washington set a new career mark for most runs scored in a single game.
- Washington's previous career high was two runs, which she accomplished five times with the most recent happening on March 26, 2023 against Texas Tech.
With her two hits on the afternoon, Viviana Martinez turned in her first career back-to-back multiple hit performances in Big 12 play.
- Martinez has finished both games at Iowa State with two hits in three official plate appearances.

UP NEXT

Texas (32-8-1, 5-3) will look for its second sweep of a Big 12 opponent this season when the Longhorns and Iowa State (12-21, 1-7) cap the week's three-game series on Saturday, April 8, when the two programs tangle, again, at Cyclone Softball Complex at 1 PM CT.
- Two weeks ago, Texas swept Texas Tech in Austin to open conference play.

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