No. 8/8 Softball unable to complete comeback, fall in Game 1 of Supers

Friday, May 26

Knoxville, TN

3 PM

University of Texas

45-14-1

Tennessee

48-8

Texas

Tennessee

Photo by: Texas Athletics

No. 8/8 Softball unable to complete comeback, fall in Game 1 of Supers

05.26.2023 | Softball

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The Longhorns will look to repeat last season’s postseason run after dropping the first game of the NCAA Knoxville Super Regional.

By: Chris Allen Brown

KNOXVILLE, TN – Friday afternoon's NCAA Super Regional game between Texas and Tennessee started equally balanced after a scoreless first, but a four-run bottom of the second inning gave the Volunteers an early lead it did not relinquish as Texas ultimately fell 5-2.

The top of the Tennessee lineup provided the difference during Friday's action after Kiki Milloy and Zaida Puni combined to drive in four of the Volunteers' five runs on three hits in six official plate appearances. The duo was at the center of the bottom of the second after Milloy singled up the middle to score Jamison Brockenbrough from second. Puni followed by sending a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run to cap the four-run frame.

Texas immediately struck back in the top of the third after Bella Dayton sent a 1-1 pitch to centerfield for a two-out, run-scoring single to plate Alyssa Popelka, who started the inning by reaching base via a Volunteer fielding error.

Two innings later, Popelka helped limit Tennessee's bottom of the fifth when she and catcher Reese Atwood connected for an inning-ending double play to halt the Volunteers' momentum after scoring a run earlier in the frame.

Popelka's play sparked the Longhorns' offense in the top of the sixth as Viviana Martinez sent the second pitch of the inning off the left-centerfield fence for a triple. She scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ashton Maloney. Reese Atwood followed with a first-pitch double to the left-centerfield gap. Minutes later, Jordyn Whitaker, who pinch hit for Popelka, capped a 12-pitch at bat with a walk to bring Leighann Goode, representing the game-tying run, to the plate.

The inning, which was ended with a fielder's choice off the bat of Goode, was the last scoring opportunity for the Longhorns as Texas went down in order in the top of the seventh.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"Congratulations to Tennessee for its win during the first game of the series. Softball is a game of taking the most of your opportunities and they were able to do that. They did a great job with the top of their order, and we knew they were going to be a problem. Ashley Rogers pitched a great game, too. She got off to a really good start, but credit to my team, we did a great job of fighting back with base hits here and there. Kiki (Milloy) had a good catch in centerfield. Ultimately, they just capitalized on their opportunities, and we were unable to. Again, I'm just proud of the way we fought and never gave up."

FROM FRESHMAN VIVIANA MARTINEZ

"After the game, Coach White said Game 2 will be the biggest in terms of momentum, so tomorrow, our goal is to bring the energy all the way throughout. We brought the fight towards the end, but tomorrow we need to start out big by showing up and showing out."

GAME NOTES

With her triple to start the top of the sixth inning, Viviana Martinez became the first softball student-athlete to be credited with a triple against Tennessee starting pitcher Ashley Rogers.
- Martinez later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ashton Maloney.
By sending an 0-2 pitch from Ashley Rogers back up the middle for a two-out single in the top of the fifth inning, sophomore Mia Scott was credited with her 75th hit on the season.
- Scott will enter Saturday's game tied with Janae Jefferson (2021) for fifth on the program's single-season hit list.
- Last season, Scott concluded her true freshman season with 77 hits.
With her two hits off Tennessee's Ashley Rogers, Viviana Martinez tied Mia Scott for the team lead with 21 multiple hit games on the season.
- Martinez' 17 two-hit games are now a team high, breaking a tie with Mia Scott.
With her two scoreless innings pitched Friday afternoon, Estelle Czech has still not allowed a run in the pitching circle during either the NCAA Regional or NCAA Super Regional.
With her four official plate appearances during Friday's game, Leighann Goode became just the fourth different Texas softball student-athlete to surpass 200 official at bats (201) during a single season.
- If Mia Scott can record three official plate appearances throughout the rest of the weekend, she would join Goode and become the first Longhorn softball student-athlete in program history to have 200-or-more plate appearances in a single season in multiple seasons.

UP NEXT

Texas (45-14-1) will look to extend its 2023 season on Saturday, May 27, when the Longhorns face off against Tennessee (48-8) in Game 2 of the 2023 NCAA Knoxville Super Regional at 2 PM CT / 3 PM ET.
- Saturday's game between the Longhorns and Volunteers will mark just the second-ever NCAA Super Regional softball game broadcasted nationally on ABC.

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