No. 2/1 Softball wins as program honors Dayton

Wednesday, March 6

Austin, TX

6 PM CT

University of Texas

19-1

UTA

8-15

UTA

Texas

03.06.2024 | Softball

Box Score

Dayton, appearing in her 201st career game, matches season high with three RBI

By: Chris Allen Brown

AUSTIN, Texas – Wednesday night may not have been Bella Dayton's final collegiate softball game at Red & Charline McCombs Field, but the senior outfielder left everything on the field throughout Texas' 8-1 win over UTA as if it was.

Dayton's first impact on the game came in the bottom of the second inning when she following a RBI groundout by Ashton Maloney with a one-out sacrifice fly to center field that scored Viviana Martinez from third and extend Texas' lead to 2-0. It was the Wylie, Texas native's first run-scoring plate appearance since driving in Martinez from second with a two-out double to center field in the top of the fifth in the Longhorns' 16-0 win at then-No. 10/8 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.

After not having a fielding opportunity in the top of the third, Dayton returned to the dish in the bottom of the third with Joley Mitchell on third and Martinez on second. Dayton, a 5-foot-6 left-handed batter, sent a 1-2 pitch over the head of UTA's Zaia Castruita at second base and into the right-center field gap for a two-run triple. It was Dayton's second triple on the season, marking the first time in her collegiate softball career she's had multiple triples during one season.

The run-scoring triple — the second in the game for the Longhorns after Mia Scott tripled home Kayden Henry in the bottom of the second — ballooned Texas' advantage in the run column to 6-0.

The three-RBI performance for Dayton marked the most runs batted in during a single game for the outfielder since plating three in a 3-for-5 performance against San Diego in Texas' season-opening game on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"(Bella Dayton) is starting to get back to where she was. I think she's got a couple of extra base hits now over her last few games, which is huge for us with her speed on the bases. She's a competitor and wants to be out there. Right now, we have a lot of people who are out there making plays for us besides Reese (Atwood) and (Katie Stewart), so that really helps us as well."

FROM SENIOR BELLA DAYTON

"I'm just grateful for every opportunity to be able to take the field with my teammates. With it being my last season, I'm just trying to leave it all out there for as long as I possibly can, but the days are going by fast. Each moment I'm just trying to take in and just be grateful for every step I take with the people I'm with."

GAME NOTES

With the win, Texas has now matched its program record for best start to a season through 20 games with a 19-1 record.
- The 2012, 2006 and 2003 squads also all started their respective seasons 19-1.
In a season-high three innings of work in the circle on Wednesday night, Texas junior right-handed pitcher Sophia Simpson struck out a game-high eight batters on 43 pitches throughout the game's closing frames.
- The eight-strikeout performance is the most by the Mont Belvieu, Texas native since she fanned eight in 4.2 innings of work against Tennessee State on March 3, 2023.
  - The eight strikeouts are the third most in a single game by Simpson after having nine in 4.1 innings against McNeese in her collegiate debut on Feb. 16, 2022, before setting a career high with 12 in six frames against UTSA on Feb. 27, 2022.
The University of Texas softball program welcomed back former Longhorn softball student-athlete Camille Corona, who is now a member of the UTA softball program after using a graduate transfer exception for her fifth season of collegiate softball, with a 'Welcome Back' graphic on the video board and an acknowledgment from the public address announcer prior to her first plate appearance in the top of the first inning.
Texas sophomore infielder Viviana Martinez turned a two-hit performance on three official trips to the plate, marking her first multi-hit game since Feb. 23, 2024 against Colorado State.
- The Arizona native now has five multi-hit games this season following Wednesday night's outing.

UP NEXT

Texas (19-1) will look to start Big 12 action on the right foot when the Longhorns travel to Houston to play a three-game series against the Cougars that begins on Friday, March 8 (6 p.m. CT/ESPN+).
- Both Saturday and Sunday's matchup between the Longhorns and Cougars are slated to begin at 12 p.m. CT and be streamed on ESPN+.

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