No. 5/5 Softball suffers heartbreak in regular season finale

Sunday, May 7

Waco, Texas

1 p.m.

University of Texas

40-12-1, 0

Baylor

39-15, 0

Texas

Baylor

Photo by: Texas Athletics

No. 5/5 Softball suffers heartbreak in regular season finale

05.07.2023 | Softball

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Baylor scored two unearned runs off seventh-inning error to break Texas’ heart in final regular season game of 2023

By: Chris Allen Brown

AUSTIN, TX – Texas looked in prime position to pick up a win over Baylor on Sunday afternoon, but a two-out fielding error allowed two runners to score in the bottom of the seventh as the Longhorns fell to the Bears, 2-1, to conclude their regular season schedule.

After Mac Morgan and RyLee Crandall (15-4) combined to toss five consecutive scoreless innings to begin Sunday's action, Texas took its first lead of the week with a one-out double down the left field line off the bat of Mia Scott that scored Alyssa Popelka from second.

Citlaly Gutierrez, now pitching with the lead after entering the pitching circle with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, went on to retire the Bears in order on just 15 pitches in the bottom of the sixth. Crandall did the same — but on 12 pitches — to three Longhorn batters in the top of the seventh.

And then the bottom of the seventh began.

Gutierrez (11-4) got the first out of the inning when Sydney Collazos flew out to left field after the umpires changed an initial groundout call to a foul ball following a video replay. Next, Josie Bower was deemed safe at second for a one-out double after a second video replay in the inning ruled she did not slide off the bag.

Following a full-count walk to Amber Toven, Ana Watson sent a 1-1 pitch down the left field line for a single, but Lou Gilbert threw out Taylor Strain, representing the game-tying run, at the plate following a third video replay. A fourth video replay in the inning determined a ground ball off the bat of Zadie LaValley was a fair ball after it took a hop off Vanessa Quiroga's body while straddling the right field line. The play resulted in two unearned runs scoring, giving the Bears the victory.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"Well, we got what we wanted in that we were able to have a good pitching performance from our staff. We had that. Unfortunately, the ball just took a bad bounce. We had a ball on the line that went our way and helped us score a run, but this one did not go our way. We made some mistakes, but I'm hoping we can get stronger from it. That's really all we can really do. This game can be cruel sometimes and right now it's a bit of a struggle. We just have to work through it."

GAME NOTES

With her one-out, run-scoring double down the left field line during the top of the sixth of Sunday's game, sophomore Mia Scott tied freshman Leighann Goode for the team lead with 15 doubles.
- Scott and Goode's 15 doubles tie the duo with Mary Iakopo (2022) for seventh on the program's single-season doubles list.
With her single to start the top of the fifth, Vanessa Quiroga will enter next week's conference tournament riding a three-game hit streak, which is tied for the longest hitting streak by the sophomore this season.
- Earlier this season, Quiroga recorded hits in consecutive games against Texas Southern (Feb. 26), Lehigh (March 18) and Iowa (March 18).
By stealing second base on two separate occasions against the Bears on Sunday, Alyssa Popelka became the first Longhorn softball student-athlete to be credited with multiple stolen bases in the same game since Mia Scott stole two against Sam Houston on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.
- Popelka is the first Texas softball student-athlete this season to steal multiple bases in the same game against a Big 12 Conference opponent.
Sunday afternoon's game marked the first time Mac Morgan started a conference game and did not issue a walk to an opposing batter since doing so in a five-inning complete game shutout at Iowa State on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
- Morgan also accomplished the feat in a five-inning start against Texas Tech on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
By scoring its sixth inning run, Texas, for the first time in program history, concluded a regular season by scoring at least one run in every game. `

UP NEXT

With the 2023 regular season now in the rearview mirror, Texas (40-11-1) will now turn its attention to the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.
- The Longhorns will be the number two seed for the tournament and will begin play at 3 PM CT on Thursday, May 11 against seventh-seeded Texas Tech.
  - Earlier this season, Texas swept the Red Raiders (3-2, 4-3 and 8-3) in a three-game series in Austin to begin its Big 12 schedule.

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