Seven is considered an incredibly lucky number. That’s the reason Ian Fleming chose 007 for the James Bond series. There are also seven continents, seven wonders of the world and seven colors in the rainbow. Tonight, the Longhorns got to add a seven to the universe, running their current win streak up to seven games.
The Longhorns completed the series sweep against the Iowa State Cyclones to begin Big 12 play undefeated, and did so in a doubleheader. The team fired on all cylinders today, shutting out the opponent, 8-0, in the first game and blowing them out of the water offensively in the second, 11-4.
“I think all the way around we were sharp today,” head coach Connie Clark said. “What stands out to me is that we always had an answer and that is impressive. I felt like almost every time throughout this three game series we would respond to Iowa State scoring with a score of our own.”
In the first game of the doubleheader, Texas ace pitcher senior Paige von Sprecken took the mound and threw a gem. Von Sprecken came two outs from throwing a perfect game, and held the Cyclones to two hits while striking out six.
The first game reinforced the idea that the Longhorns have two ace pitchers throwing incredibly well of late, as von Sprecken collected her seventh win of the season and added another shutout to her early season success.
“I thought it was tremendous,” Clark said. “We love having Paige in the circle. She’s just so confident and just has so many different looks right now. Her velocity looks good, but she’s mixing in different speeds. She just brings so much to the table.”
In the second game, the offense continued its streak of scoring early, bringing a total of six runs across home plate in the first inning alone. The team scored a total of eight runs in the first game and scored eleven in the second.
The entire lineup in the first game got on base in some way, and pinch hitting situations brought almost every player to bat at some point during the series.
“It was good to get everyone some looks,” Clark said. “Everyone is just continuing to get better. The big hits were impressive but just as impressive was our eye at the plate. They drew really crucial walks and made the other pitching staff work.”
The star of the offense in today’s games was sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Washington, who hit two homeruns, including a grand slam in the first inning of the second game. Overall, she collected a total of three homers over the course of the series.
“Her swing looks great,” Clark said. “She’s been scrapping out of the gate in our initial 15 games or so and had to really work through some things and find that good old Kaitlyn Washington swing that we all know and seen in the passed. She’s really feeling confident.”
Moving forward, the Longhorns will hit the road to face Houston on Tuesday, April 3.
